The Mōkau River is located in the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
The river rises as a spring in the
Pureora Forest, south of
Te Kūiti
Te Kūiti is a town in the north of the King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 3, State Highways 3 and New Zealand State Highway 30, 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk rail ...
, on the slopes of the
Rangitoto Range. After briefly following a north-westward course, it turns south-westwards and flows for through the
Waitomo District of the
King Country. It enters the
North Taranaki Bight at its mouth at the town of
Mōkau.
Although the rivermouth is enclosed by a large
sandbar
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...
, with a high tide, larger vessels can pass safely and enter the river, which is navigable for upstream. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the banks of the river were host to a thriving industry of logging and coal-mining. However, the risks and costs of transporting goods down the Mōkau eventually ended such enterprise.
Today the river is a popular
whitebaiting and
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
location.
See also
Wairere Power Station
References
*
Mokau River, ''An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'', edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966
SS Mokau, Mōkau River, 1908
Further reading
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External links
Puke Ariki - Shooting Up The Mokau River
Puke Ariki - Mokau River Holds Stories of PastWairere Falls on 1:50,000 map* Wairere Falls in 1908 - photo i
30 JANUARY 1908 p13 (AWNS-19080130-13-1)
2014 upgrade of Wairere Falls power stationan
cross sectionPlan for additional power station shelved in 2011
Rivers of Waikato
Waitomo District
Rivers of New Zealand
{{Waikato-river-stub