The Pororari River, with an older spelling of Porarari, is a river of the

West Coast Region The West Coast ( mi, Te Tai Poutini, lit=The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha) is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. ...

of New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It flows northwest from its sources in the

Paparoa Range The Paparoa Range is a mountain range in the West Coast Region, West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It was the first New Zealand land seen by a European – Abel Tasman in 1642. Part of the range has the country's highest protection ...

, reaching the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...

Punakaiki Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...

via Pororari Lagoon. Cave Creek / Kotihotiho is a tributary to the river. There are opportunities to

tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...

along this river, with two different options accommodating multi-hour loop walks. Further upstream, the Pororari River is followed by the new

Paparoa Track The Paparoa Track is a shared hiking and mountain biking track located in Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The track was created as a memorial for the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine disaster. ...

, which provides an opportunity for multi-day tramping or mountain biking.

Toponymy

When maps were updated for the region, the clerk of Buller County was asked about the correct spelling of the river. His advice was that "Pororari" is the correct spelling, with "Porarari" sometimes having erroneously been used. The

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

name for the river consists of ''poro'' (meaning "broken off") and ''rari'' (meaning "uproar"). This is a descriptive term and refers to the upper reaches that are very steep.

Geography

The Pororari River has its source in the

on its western side near Mount Pecksniff, with some tributaries coming from the nearby peak known as

White Knight A white knight is a mythological figure and literary stock character. They are portrayed alongside a black knight as diametric opposites. A white knight usually represents a heroic warrior fighting against evil, with the role in medieval literatu ...

. The lower part of the Pororari River flows through the Pororari River gorge, a limestone gorge described by the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

(DOC) as "spectacular". This part of the river features large rocks and deep pools, with the vegetation transitioning from sub-tropical to temperate. The one notable tributary is Cave Creek / Kotihotiho, which flows into the Pororari River from its right. The Pororari River flows into Pororari Lagoon, where it is joined by Bullock Creek before flowing into the

Tracks

The Pororari River Track starts at the

Paparoa National Park Paparoa National Park is on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The park was established in 1987 and encompasses 430 km2 (166 sq mi). The park ranges from on or near the coastline to the peaks of the Paparoa Range. A separ ...

Visitor Centre. Walkers walk along State Highway 6 (SH6) for and then follow the Pororari River on its true-left through the gorge. Just upstream of the gorge, the track ends and meets the

Inland Pack Track The Inland Pack Track is a trail in the Paparoa National Park on West Coast of New Zealand. The full length of the trail commences at the Punakaiki River in the south, and ends at the mouth of the Fox River in the north. It takes two or th ...

that also crosses the Pororari River near this junction. The Pororari River Track is often walked as a loop track, with the Inland Pack Track going south, Waikori Road which runs alongside the Punakaiki River and SH6 completing the loop. DOC suggests to allow three hours for the loop. Another loop track is formed by walking the Pororari River Track and then walking the Inland Pack Track north, and the back towards the coast via Bullock Creek Road which follows Bullock Creek. To complete the loop, walkers follow SH6 for back to the visitor centre. This loop should take five to six hours to walk. The Pororari River is also followed by the new

, the newest Great Walk. The Paparoa Track was built as a memorial to the 2010

Pike River Mine disaster The Pike River Mine disaster was a coal mining accident that began on 19 November 2010 in the Pike River Mine, northeast of Greymouth, in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island following a methane explosion at approximately 3:44 pm ...

and can be used by both walkers and mountain bikers. Walkers reach the Pororari River on their third day and descend towards the coast. At the junction with the Inland Pack Track, walkers continue via the Pororari River Track whilst mountain bikers continue towards Waikori Road; biking on the Pororari River Track is not permitted.

References

{{Buller District Rivers of the West Coast, New Zealand Rivers of New Zealand Buller District Paparoa National Park

Toponymy

Geography

Tracks

See also

References