The Esk River of Hawke's Bay, in the eastern

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 ...

of New Zealand, one of two rivers of that name in the country, is one of Hawke's Bay's major rivers. It flows south from the slopes of

Taraponui Taraponui is a prominent peak in inland Hawke's Bay, in New Zealand's eastern North Island. It lies between the settlements of Te haroto and Tutira Tutira ( mi, Tūtira) is a village to the north of Napier and is part of the Hawke's Bay Re ...

in the Maungaharuru Range before turning east to reach Hawke Bay north of

Napier Napier may refer to: People * Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name * Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders Given name * Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist * Napier Waller (1893–19 ...

. State Highway 5 follows the lower course of the river for several kilometres close to the settlement of Eskdale. The river is probably named after the Esk River in southern Scotland and north-west England. Where the river reaches the sea, it ponds behind a shingle bank. At times the sea drives up shingle that blocks the outlet until the ponding water breaks through. The outlet occasionally needs to be opened artificially to prevent flooding. Prior to the

1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Si ...

, the pond also flowed into the Petane Stream and south through Bay View into the northern end of

Ahuriri Lagoon Ahuriri Lagoon ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Orotū) was a large tidal lagoon at Napier, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, that largely drained when the area was raised by the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. Before the earthquake, the lagoon ...

when the beach outlet was blocked. The earthquake raised the area, preventing the ponded water from flowing through Bay View any longer. The southern stretch of the river forms the northern boundary for urban development in Napier.

Hukarere Girls' College Hukarere Girls' College is a girls secondary boarding school in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand. It has a strong Māori character and follows the Anglican tradition. The School motto "Kia Ū Ki Te Pai" means "Cleave to that which is good" ...

is near the river, as well as the Pan Pac Forest Products mill. A 4 MW hydroelectric power scheme is situated in the higher reaches of the river.

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

and red wine grapes are grown in the Esk River valley. The lower of the Esk can be suitable for whitewater canoeing when the flow is above normal. There are brown and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

in the river, but fishing is restricted.

References

Rivers of the Hawke's Bay Region Rivers of New Zealand {{HawkesBay-river-stub

See also

References