The Sabine River is in the

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 ...

of New Zealand. It is located in

Nelson Lakes National Park Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was formed after the passing of the National Parks Act in 1952. It was created in 1956 (one of four created in the 1950s). The park co ...

. There are two branches to the river—East Sabine and West Sabine. The West Sabine drains

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...

and the Blue Lake. The two branches join at the Sabine Forks, and flow into

Lake Rotoroa Lake Rotoroa (Māori: "long lake") may refer to the following New Zealand lakes: * Lake Rotoroa (Northland) * Lake Rotoroa (Tasman) * Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton, New Zealand) (or "Hamilton Lake"), Hamilton City, Waikato, New Zealand * Lake Rotoroa (W ...

. Apart from the upper reaches, which is open tussock and scrub, the river is set within unmodified

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

forest. It is not a navigable river due to the rocky cascades along most of its length. A

tramping Tramping may refer to: Travel *Hiking *Trekking *Tramping in New Zealand, a style of backpacking or hiking * Czech tramping, a Czech outdoors pastime Places * Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380, Saskatchewan, Canada ** Tramping Lake, Sas ...

track runs along the riverJim Dufresne. 2002 and forms the western branch of the Travers-Sabine tramping circuit. This route usually starts from Saint Arnaud at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti. It follows the course of the

Travers River The Travers River is in the South Island of New Zealand. It lies within the borders of the Nelson Lakes National Park. The valley through which the river flows is popular with trampers and is part of the Travers-Sabine tramping circuit, which fol ...

, goes up over the sub alpine Travers Saddle (1787 metres), and then descends along the East Sabine Valley and Sabine Valley to

. A track also ascends the West Sabine to Blue Lake. This route continues over the Waiau Pass, eventually connecting with the

St James Walkway The St James Walkway is a -long subalpine tramping (i.e. the New Zealand term for 'hiking') track located in the Lewis Pass area of the South Island of New Zealand. It is administered by the Department of Conservation. History The St James Wal ...

and

Lewis Pass Lewis Pass (el. 907 m.) is a mountain pass in the South Island of New Zealand. The northernmost of the three main passes across the Southern Alps, it is higher than the Haast Pass, and slightly lower than Arthur's Pass. State Highway 7 traver ...

. Three tramping huts are located in the Sabine Valley: Sabine Hut (on the shore of Lake Rotoroa, near the mouth of the Sabine); West Sabine Hut (near the Sabine Forks); and Blue Lake Hut.

Ecology

There is a diversity of flora and birdlife within the Sabine River Valley.

References

* Jim Dufresne. 2002. ''Tramping in New Zealand'', 5th edition, Lonely Planet Series

Line notes

Rivers of the Tasman District Rivers of New Zealand {{Tasman-river-stub