The Awaroa River is a short river in the

Waikato District Waikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngāruawāhia. The district is centred to t ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, 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 east from its source in the dunes near

Karioitahi Beach Karioitahi Beach is a black sand beach located in the southwest of the Auckland region, on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. The nearest major town is Waiuku, about 8 km inland. It is a rugged and windswept environment, often ...

and Lake Puketi, then south from

Waiuku Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which ...

joining with the Aka Aka Stream before reaching the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

in its tidal reaches close to Motutieke Island. Despite being only long, its name translates to 'long river'. It is a name used by 33 other locations, including two in Northland ( Awaroa River, the same length, and the other, rather longer, flowing into the Wairoa River), 9 of them in Waikato Region (two other Waikato tributaries not far south of this river, which the Regional Council distinguishes from the others with the appendage 'Waiuku', 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 ...

, the other 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 ...

, Awaroa River flowing into

Kawhia Harbour Kawhia Harbour (Maori: ''Kāwhia'') 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 ...

, two Awaroa Streams in Coromandel, one flowing into Kennedy Bay, the other a tributary of the Opitonui River) and 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 Mārahau, the main gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, and the town of Motueka. Kaiteriteri is a small coastal town re ...

. The river is the Waikato's 11th most polluted out of 26. In the 1850s the Awaroa was an important link in the trade between Waikato and Auckland. It was navigated by

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

and produce and/or canoes

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

d to

Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burne ...

, along Te Pai o Kaiwaka portage, near

. A canal or tramway was considered as early as 1850 for bringing coal from

Huntly Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlemen ...

and again in 1855. A 1921 report also considered a canal or railway, but also rejected them as too expensive for the likely traffic.

References

External links

*Auckland Weekly News phot
1898
*Google Street View o
Otaua Rd bridge
{{Waikato Rivers of Waikato Waikato District Rivers of New Zealand Tributaries of the Waikato River