The Waimea River is located in the north of 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 formed from the confluence of the Wairoa River and the Wai-iti River, which meet near

Brightwater Brightwater (Māori: ''Wairoa'') is a town southwest of Nelson in Tasman district in the South Island of New Zealand. It stands on the banks of the Wairoa River. Brightwater was first named Spring Grove. Alfred Saunders, the owner of a loca ...

. The combined waters flow into

Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere Tasman Bay (; officially Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere), originally known in English as Blind Bay, is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches alon ...

near Appleby, opposite Rabbit Island.

References

Rivers of the Tasman District Rivers of New Zealand {{Tasman-river-stub