The Mangawhero River is in the North Island of New Zealand. It drains the south-western slopes of

Mount Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tongari ...

, passes through

Ohakune Ohakune is a small town at the southern end of Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island of New Zealand. A rural service town known as New Zealand's Carrot Capital, Ohak ...

before discharging into the

Whangaehu River The Whangaehu River is a large river in central North Island of New Zealand. Its headwaters are the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into the Tasman Sea eight kilometres southeast of Whanganui. Water is diverted ...

to the south-west of Mangamahu.

History

The name Mangawhero means comes from the Maori word ''manga'' meaning "stream" and ''whero'' meaning "red". The river has been used for fishing, agricultural irrigation and domestic water supply. On 8 September 1979 up to of heating oil were split into the river from the Turoa ski field.

Course

The source of the Mangawhero River is located on the slopes of

Mt Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island North Island Volcanic Plateau, volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of L ...

at elevation of approximately . The river begins within the area of the Tūroa skifield and flows down the slopes of the mountain in a south west direction. The Ohakune Mountain Road, built during the 1950s and 60s, follows the river valley up to the skifield. The high Mangawhero Falls is located in this top section of the river and is accessible via a short walk from Ohakune Mountain Road. The river continues to flow in a south west direction through the length of

. There are recreational areas in the town beside the river including walking and cycling trails. Ohakune's water supply is taken from a small tributary of the Mangawhero River, the Tutara (Serpentine) Stream. Treated wastewater from the Ohakune Wastewater Treatment Plant is discharged into the Mangawhero River. South west of Ohakune the river meanders across flat farmland for . This area is a popular fishing spot for brown trout. After crossing farmland the river enters a gorge and is joined by the tributary Makotuku River from the right south of

Raetihi Raetihi, a small town in the center of New Zealand's North Island, is located at the junction of State Highways 4 and 49 in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It lies in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, 11 kilometres west ...

. The river then turns to flow more southwards as it meanders through farming hill country passing the settlements of Oreore and Kakatahi. The Parapara section of State Highway 4 follows the river valley for as it heads south, crossing the river four times. The Ruakawa Falls are located on this stretch beside State Highway 4. The Ruakawa Falls were high but the clay wall that the river flowed over collapse in the 2010s reducing the height and grandeur of the waterfall. As the river continues south the

meanders A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

lengthen as the terrain flattens. The rivers terraces in the lower stretches of the river are often irrigated from the river. The Mangawhero River terminates where it meets the

south west of Mangamahu. The Whangaehu River continues southwards, eventually flowing into 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 ...

south east of

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

In popular culture

The river was used as a filming location for the 2002 movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. A section of the river just above Mangawhero Falls was used for a scene where

Gollum Gollum is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was introduced in the 1937 fantasy novel '' The Hobbit'', and became important in its sequel, '' The Lord of the Rings''. Gollum was a Stoor Hobbit of the R ...

was fishing.

References

External links

Department of Conservation
- short walks in the area of the river {{Tolkien tourism Rivers of Manawatū-Whanganui Rivers of New Zealand