Cowdie forest on the Wairoa River, Kaipara C-025-024

The Wairoa River in Northland New Zealand, sometimes referred to as the Northern Wairoa River, runs for 150 kilometres through the northern part of the

North Auckland Peninsula The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, a narrow piece of land between the Waitematā ...

. In the upper reaches, the river is formed from two separate rivers, the Mangakahia River and the

Wairua River The Wairua River is a river of Northland, New Zealand. It flows south-west from Hikurangi and joins the Mangakahia River between Titoki and Tangiteroria to form the Wairoa River, which runs past Dargaville to the Kaipara Harbour. See also * ...

. The two streams meet to the northeast of

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangāre ...

, becoming the Wairoa. It is the longest river in the Northland Region. Wairoa River-Dargaville

The river flows from here firstly southwest (as far as Dargaville) and then southeast for 40 kilometres in a wide navigable

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

which flows into the northern end of the

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckl ...

. For most of its length, this river is tidal. In the 19th century, the river's swamplands near Dargaville were the most popular location for

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...

digging.

References

Kaipara District Rivers of the Northland Region Rivers of New Zealand Kaipara Harbour catchment {{Northland-river-stub