Rangitīkei River

The Rangitīkei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers at 253 kilometres (157 mi) long.

Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupō in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Volcanic Plateau and Inland Pātea south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and Bulls, to the South Taranaki Bight at Tangimoana, 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Whanganui. The river gives its name to the surrounding Rangitikei District.

The river is a popular leisure and recreation area for jetboating, white water rafting, kayaking and fishing, and includes public camp grounds along its banks, including Vinegar Hill, New Zealand. Its sheer vertical "paapa" (clay) cliffs (unique to this part of New Zealand) and deep canyons provide the perfect setting for adventure activities such as bungy jumps and flying fox rides. The cliffs, which display oxygen isotope stages, have been incised into the soft Quaternary, 2.6 to 1.7 million year old, marine sediments as the land has risen since the last ice age. The rise has left 19 terraces, which have been mapped.

There are rainbow trout and brown trout throughout the river system, with fish in the upper reaches reaching trophy size (i.e. over 4.5 kg), and the average through the rest of the system being around 1.5 to 2 kg. Fish numbers are good throughout the system. There are fewer fish per kilometre in the upper reaches, but this is made up for by their quality and larger size.