Whataroa River Upper Reaches Westland New Zealand Aotearoa

The Whataroa River, sometimes the Wataroa River, is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in the southern West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. Its source is in the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

and it flows north and northwest, passing the township of

Whataroa Whataroa is a small township in southern Westland District, Westland on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the western bank of the Whataroa River, with the village of Te Taho on the other side. ...

on the eastern side before 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 ...

just south of

Abut Head Abut Head is a forested headland on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located north of the village of Whataroa and west of Harihari, and is southwest of the Westland District's main centre, Hokitika. On the southern side of th ...

. The river is fed by many tributaries, such as the Perth River, and is crossed by on its route between Whataroa and Te Taho.

Recreation

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

takes place on the river as an adventure tourism activity. Access to the upper reaches of the river for rafting is either via hiking or helicopter. The river also flows through areas used for tramping and climbing.

References

Westland District Rivers of the West Coast, New Zealand Rivers of New Zealand {{WestCoastNZ-river-stub