The Wairoa River of the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

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

, west of Gisborne, before flowing into northern

Hawke Bay Hawke Bay (), 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 Kidnappers / Te Kauwae-a-Mā ...

at the town of

Wairoa Wairoa is the largest town in the Wairoa District and the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mā ...

. 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 The Wairoa River and its tributaries are vital fo
mahinga kai
and hold high cultural value for Māori

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, many of whom report an overwhelming sense of spiritual connection when they are at the river. It has a

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, 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, northwest of Wairoa and west-southwest of Gisborne. It covers an area of . From the Māori Waikaremoana translates as 'sea of rippling waters'. The lake lies wi ...

. 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 R ...

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

Sediment and erosion

The Wairoa River carries large quantities of fine

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

(clays, silts and sands) that cloaks both the bed and the banks of the river. The rate of sediment loss has increased because of changes in land use from native forest to pasture, and forestry and farming land use practices, with current sediment losses estimated to be approximately 240% higher than before human arrival. In 2023, an assessment of the lower Wairoa River, downstream of Marumaru, suggested that the river had a gravel (or bedrock) bed down to Awamate until about 3000 years ago. It remains unclear whether it was gravel-bed before widespread land cover change around 100 years ago. The lower river (downstream of Awamate) is most likely naturally soft-bottomed.

Extreme weather events

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. The river rose to a "record height", the bridge "took a battering", and "telephone lines 4.3 metres above road level were carrying grass and twigs, showing the phenomenal rise of the floodwaters".

Cyclone Gabrielle Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that devastated parts of the North Island of New Zealand and affected parts of Vanuatu and Norfolk Island in February 2023. It is the costliest tropical cyclone ...

resulted in erosion of stream banks, removal of riparian vegetation, and stream-bed disturbance in Wairoa River. A 2023 study estimated that erosion control measures on land could reduce sediment loads in the river by up to 60%, improving visual clarity and creating better conditions for sensitive fish species. However, this would result in significant economic impacts, including reduction in farm revenue and employment.

Walkway

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 Hawke's Bay Rivers of New Zealand