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The Waingawa River is a river of the Greater Wellington Region 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 ...
and a major tributary of the Ruamahanga River
The Ruamahanga River runs through the southeastern North Island of New Zealand.
The river's headwaters are in the Tararua Range northwest of Masterton. From there it runs firstly south and then southwest for before emptying into the Cook Str ...
.
The name Waingawa used to be Waiāwangawanga, wai meaning water and wangawanga meaning uncertain or troubled. By legend the river was named by Haunui-a-nanaia who also named many other parts of the Wairarapa. The river's name is eventually supposed to be corrected as part of a treaty settlement process with Rangitane and Kahungunu but as of 2021 the river's official name remains Waingawa.
Its origins are close to Pukeamoamo / Mitre
Pukeamoamo / Mitre is the highest mountain of the Tararua Range, situated in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It has a total height of .
The mountain was named after its double peak that resembles a bishop's mitre
The mitre (Commo ...
, the highest peak of the Tararua Range. Once out of the ranges it flows in a straight line southeast across the Wairarapa Valley to join the Ruamahanga River at Te Whiti by Wardell's Bridge.
The Waingawa River is the southwestern boundary of the town of Masterton
Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...
.
Masterton's water is piped from the Waingawa through a Masterton District Council treatment plant on the river about 10 kilometres west of the town.
See also
* List of rivers of New ZealandReferences
* Rivers of the Wellington Region Rivers of New Zealand {{Wellington-river-stub