The Awaroa River is a river in the
ÅŒtorohanga District
ÅŒtorohanga District is a territorial municipality in the King Country area and Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a mostly rural area, with Otorohanga town being by far the biggest urban area, with a population nearing 3,0 ...
, on the west coast of New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-MÄui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
. It flows north from its source near Te Koraha, through
Hauturu to
Kawhia Harbour
Kawhia Harbour (Maori: ''KÄwhia'') is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwe ...
. The river passes through both pasture and indigenous forest. Over half of the river is in forest.
The name translates to 'long river'. It is a name used by 33 other locations,
including two waterways in Northland (
Awaroa River and another, rather longer, flowing into the
Wairoa River), a river north of
Kaiteriteri
Kaiteriteri is a town and seaside resort in the Tasman Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is close to both MÄrahau, the main gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, and the town of Motueka.
Kaiteriteri is a small coastal town re ...
and 9 in
Waikato Region
Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, t ...
(
Awaroa River and 2 streams, flowing into the
Waikato
Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...
, one flowing into
Lake Whangape
Lake Whangape (also written as Wangape, Whangapu, or Whangapae) is shallow, supertrophic, lateral and the second largest lake (after Lake Waikare) in the lower Waikato River basin in New Zealand. One source said the name translated to 'a large s ...
, another into
Lake Waahi, another stream flowing into the
Piako River
The Piako River is a lowland river system that drains into the Firth of Thames on the North Island of New Zealand. Together with the Waihou River, it is one of the two main rivers systems which drains the Hauraki Plains. It is the dominant river ...
, 2 Awaroa Streams in Coromandel, one flowing into
Kennedy Bay and a tributary of the
Opitonui River).
The bridge carrying Harbour Road over the river was originally built in 1930. In 1922 a launch ran from Kawhia to Awaroa, with a coach connection to ÅŒtorohanga.
Veronica scopulorum ‘Awaroa’ is a naturally uncommon hebe, endemic to about half a dozen limestone outcrops in the head waters of the Awaroa River and northern Taumatatotara Range. It is threatened by weed invasion, forest degradation and goat and possum browse.
Awaroa Scenic Reserve, at the river's estuary, covers and has the fern
Ophioglossum coriaceum
''Ophioglossum'', the adder's-tongue ferns, is a genus of about 50 species of ferns in the family Ophioglossaceae. The name ''Ophioglossum'' comes from the Greek meaning "snake-tongue". , the orchid
Bulbophyllum tuberculatum and the mistletoe
Peraxilla tetrapetala. The estuary upstream from Uenukutuhatu Rock has
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
,
seagrass
Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...
,
freshwater marsh clubrush and regenerating bush, with invasive
black locust trees.
Some coal was discovered in the valley in 1903, but its quality was too poor to mine.
The river was once used for navigation; in 1924 launch owners asked for willows to be removed. A 1981 report said the willows didn't hinder navigation, but launches could only go as far as the road bridge.
References
External links
Google Street View from Harbour Road bridgeto {{cvt, 188, m Hautapu Bluff
Rivers of Waikato
ÅŒtorohanga District
Rivers of New Zealand