The Acheron River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in
Canterbury, New Zealand
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current f ...
and flows from
Lake Lyndon
Lake Lyndon is a small lake in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near Porters Pass on State Highway 73 after Springfield heading into the Southern Alps. The lake regularly freezes in winter due to its elevation ...
south into the
Rakaia River
The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The Rakaia River has a mean flow of and a mean annual seven-day low flow of . In the 1850s, Euro ...
.
Small deposits of coal are found near the river. In the 1870s, a proposal existed to extend the
Whitecliffs Branch
The Whitecliffs Branch was an long branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network in the Canterbury region of the South Island. It was more industrial than the many rural branches on the South Island's east coast ...
, a
branch line railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
, through the
Rakaia Gorge to the Acheron River to access these coal deposits, and an 1880 Royal Commission on New Zealand's
railway network
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
was in favour of this extension, but it never came to fruition.
[David Leitch and Bob Scott, ''Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways'', rev. ed. (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998), pg. 71.]
*Head:
* Confluence with Rakaia:
See also
*
Acheron River, Marlborough
The Acheron River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand, in Marlborough and flows into the Waiau Toa / Clarence River. It flows southwest and then east for a total of , joining the Waiau Toa / Clarence at the southern end of the Inland ...
*
Acheron (river in Greece)
References
Rivers of Canterbury, New Zealand
Rivers of New Zealand
{{CanterburyNZ-river-stub