The Wapiti River is a river in the
Southland Region
Southland ( mi, Murihiku) is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. It includes Southland District, Gore District and the city of Invercargill. The r ...
of
New Zealand. It rises in the northern extremity of the
Stuart Mountains in
Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is by far the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of , and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. The park i ...
, the top of its watershed being part of the
main divide. Two branches feed
Lake Sutherland, (elevation ) the outflow of which flows southwest to
Lake Thomson. A further reach of the river heads east to
Lake Hankinson
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
, which is separated from the North West Arm of the Middle Fiord of
Lake Te Anau by a final stretch of the river.
The river is named for the
Wapiti (Cervus canadensis), an introduced deer species found in Fiordland.
Lake Wapiti lies a few kilometres from the Wapiti River, but is in a separate catchment, that of the
Doon River
The Doon River is a river in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It arises near Mount Donald and flows south-east into the south-west arm of Lake Te Anau.
The river was explored by Quintin McPherson McKinnon and G. Tucker in 1887.
In 2002, the ...
feeding the West Arm of the Middle Fiord.
A tramping track connecting Lake Te Anau to
George Sound
Te Houhou / George Sound is a fiord of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the fiords that form the coast of Fiordland.
Geography
The fiord is located between Taitetimu / Caswell Sound and Hāwea / Bligh Sound, on the northern central ...
via the Henry Pass follows the Wapiti River from its mouth as far as the head of Lake Thomson, thereafter turning west up a tributary named Rugged Burn.
References
Rivers of Fiordland
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