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 ...
of
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 ...
's
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
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 ...
. 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