The Wairoa River of the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

region in New Zealand runs south for 65 kilometres from the inland east coast region of the

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-larges ...

, west of Gisborne, before flowing into northern

Hawke Bay Hawke Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui), formerly named ''Hawke's Bay'', is a large bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, surrounded by the Hawke's Bay region. It stretches from Māhia Peninsula in the northeast to Cape Kidnap ...

at the town of

Wairoa Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west o ...

. The full

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

name of the river is ''Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau'', which means the long, bubbling, swirling, uneven waters.Brochure ''Wairoa Township River Walkway - Historical Plaque Sites''
retrieved 2010-03-13 It has a

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of ,Grant-Taylor, T.L. - 'Wairoa River' in McLintock, A.H. (1966) – ''An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand''
– in Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand which includes

Lake Waikaremoana Lake Waikaremoana is located in Te Urewera in the North Island of New Zealand, 60 kilometres northwest of Wairoa and 80 kilometres west-southwest of Gisborne. It covers an area of . From the Maori Waikaremoana translates as 'sea of rippling wat ...

. The major tributaries are: * the

Hangaroa River The Hangaroa River is a river in the Gisborne Region of New Zealand. Its source is the Huiarau Ranges in the Te Urewera National Park, and flows southeast to merge with the Ruakituri River near Te Reinga. The combined rivers form the Wairoa Ri ...

* the

Ruakituri River The Ruakituri River is a river of the Gisborne and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. It initially flows northeast from its sources north of Lake Waikareiti. Within its course are the 72 m high Waitangi Falls. Afterwards it tur ...

* the Mangapoike River * the

Mangaaruhe River The Mangaaruhe River is a river of the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows southeast from the Ngamoko Range southwest of Lake Waikaremoana, flowing into the Wairoa River eight kilometres north of Frasertown. See also *Li ...

* the Waiau River * the Waikaretaheke River The Hangaroa River and the Ruakituri River merge at Te Reinga Falls, near

Te Reinga Ruakituri is a rural area in the northern Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's eastern North Island, located north of Wairoa and west of Gisborne. The 2013 New Zealand census recorded 708 people living in the Ruakituri-Morere area. The community ...

. This is where the Wairoa River begins. Lake Waikaremoana is formed in the rockfall-dammed headwaters of the Waikaretaheke River. It has a confluence with the Waiau River 14 miles from the coast. In 1948 a big flood of the Wairoa River submerged the traffic bridge in

and flooded parts of the town to a depth of . This flood flow is one of the largest recorded for any river in New Zealand. In 2010, the Wairoa Township River Walkway project commenced. The Walkway is a pedestrian and cycle path starting at the bridge on the south bank of the Wairoa River. It is planned that it will eventually completely encircle the town.Brochure ''Wairoa Township River Walkway – A Walkway for the whole community''
retrieved 2010-03-13

Footnotes

External links

Wairoa District Council – Wairoa Township River Walkway
{{coord, 38, 49, 43, S, 177, 31, 02, E, region:NZ-HKB_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Rivers of the Hawke's Bay Region Rivers of New Zealand