The Mangapu River is a river of 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 ...

region of New Zealand'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 has its sources in numerous streams which flow generally northwards from the

King Country The King Country (Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...

south of Te Kuiti, the longest of which is the Mangaokewa Stream. These streams join to form the Mangapu close to Te Kuiti, and from here the river flows north, passing close to the east of

Waitomo Caves Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region of New Zealand's North Island. There are several solutional cave systems in the area around the village, which are popular tourist attractions. Restaurants and accommodation are centred in ...

, where the Mangapu caves have the largest entrance in the North Island (about long and deep), before flowing into the

Waipā River The Waipā River is in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The headwaters are in the Rangitoto Range east of Te Kuiti. It flows north for , passing through Ōtorohanga and Pirongia, before flowing into the Waikato River at ...

at Otorohanga. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...

gives a translation of "double stream" for ''Mangapū''. SH3 crosses the river on a bridge near Otorohanga built in 1966 and near

Hangatiki Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region of New Zealand's North Island. There are several solutional cave systems in the area around the village, which are popular tourist attractions. Restaurants and accommodation are centred in ...

on a concrete bridge built in 1977. The

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 ...

follows the east bank for about , crossing only small tributaries, though it did suffer from flooding, for example in 1905. The river at Otorohanga is classed as being in the worst 25% of similar sites as regards all measured pollutants, though some attempts are being made at restoration.

Pehitawa Kahikatea Forest Reserve

The reserve of

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori) and white pine, is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand. A podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining heights of 60 m and a life span of 600 years. It was firs ...

forest on the east bank of the river, was purchased by the Native Forests Restoration Trust in 2001. Kahikatea forest once covered in the Waipa Ecological District, now reduced to , of which are in the Mangapu valley, though over has been felled since 1975. A major drainage scheme was carried out just upstream from the reserve in the 1930s, including emptying of a lake. The forest floods in winter and flood protection would be uneconomic. Some kahikatea in the reserve are about 120 years old. The reserve also has swamp maire, matai, titoki and pukatea.

Te Araroa Te Araroa (The Long Pathway) is New Zealand's long distance tramping route, stretching circa along the length of the country's two main islands from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Officially opened in 2011, it is made up of a mixture of previously made ...

long-distance walkway passes through the reserve and crosses the river on a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

References

External links

Flood levels at SH3 bridge near Hangatiki

Google Street view of the river at SH3 bridge near Otorohanga

Google Street view of the river at SH3 bridge near Hangatiki
Waitomo District Rivers of Waikato Rivers of New Zealand {{Waikato-river-stub

Pehitawa Kahikatea Forest Reserve

See also

References

External links