The Sabine River is in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It is located in

Nelson Lakes National Park Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was created in 1956 (one of four created in the 1950s). The park contains beech forests, multiple lakes, snow-covered mountains and v ...

. There are two branches to the river—East Sabine and West Sabine. The West Sabine drains

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

and the Blue Lake. The two branches join at the Sabine Forks, and flow into Lake Rotoroa. Apart from the upper reaches, which is open tussock and scrub, the river is set within unmodified

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

forest. It is not a navigable river due to the rocky cascades along most of its length. A tramping track runs along the riverJim Dufresne. 2002 and forms the western branch of the Travers-Sabine tramping circuit. This route usually starts from Saint Arnaud at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti. It follows the course of the

Travers River The Travers River is in the South Island of New Zealand. It lies within the borders of the Nelson Lakes National Park. The valley through which the river flows is popular with trampers and is part of the Travers-Sabine tramping circuit, which ...

, goes up over the sub alpine Travers Saddle (1787 metres), and then descends along the East Sabine Valley and Sabine Valley to Lake Rotoroa. A track also ascends the West Sabine to Blue Lake. This route continues over the Waiau Pass, eventually connecting with the St James Walkway and

Lewis Pass Lewis Pass is the northernmost of the three main mountain passes through the Southern Alps in the South Island of New Zealand. With an elevation of 907 metres, it is slightly lower than Arthur's Pass and higher than Haast Pass. The pass is ...

. Three tramping huts are located in the Sabine Valley: Sabine Hut (on the shore of Lake Rotoroa, near the mouth of the Sabine); West Sabine Hut (near the Sabine Forks); and Blue Lake Hut.

Ecology

There is a diversity of flora and birdlife within the Sabine River Valley.

References

* Jim Dufresne. 2002. ''Tramping in New Zealand'', 5th edition, Lonely Planet Series

Line notes

Rivers of the Tasman District Nelson Lakes National Park {{Tasman-river-stub