Waipaoa River
| Waipaoa River | |
|---|---|
Looking upstream to the north-east from the Wharerata Road (State Highway 2) bridge | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Kererūhuahua, Raukūmara Range |
| • elevation | 965 m (3,166 ft) |
| Mouth | 38°42′48″S 177°56′31″E / 38.71331°S 177.94186°E |
| Basin size | 2,165 km2 (836 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Poverty Bay |
The Waipaoa River is in the Gisborne District, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of the Raukūmara Range, flowing south for 80 kilometres (50 mi) to reach Poverty Bay and the Pacific Ocean just south of Gisborne. For about half of this distance, its valley is followed by State Highway 2. The river has several important tributaries, among them the Wharekōpae, Waikohu, Mangatū, Te Ārai, Waingaromia and Waihora rivers. Major settlements along the banks of the river include Te Karaka, Ormond, and Pātūtahi.[1] Waipaoa is Māori for "Pāoa's river", Pāoa being the captain of the Horouta canoe (hence "Waipaoa River" is tautological).[2]
The river has formed the fertile and highly productive Poverty Bay flats on the edge of Gisborne.[3] The Waipaoa River Flood Control Scheme was built in the 1950s.[4] Stopbanks are to be raised by 2031,[5] as eroded soil, especially from the Waingaromia and Mangatū catchments, has built up the river bed, the annual flow of sediment being 15 million tonnes. Despite this pollution, many of the headwaters have indigenous fish.[3]
Environmental concerns
In the lower river, water quality is poor for E. coli, clarity, turbidity, ammoniacal nitrogen and total phosphorus.[6] The sediment, building up at a rate of several centimetres a year even many kilometres into Poverty Bay, shows that removal of tall trees such as rimu, mataī, beeches and kahikatea and subsequent conversion of forests to farmland by the early 20th century increased sediment flows by 2 to 3 times the former rate.[7]
See also
- Te Kurī o Pāoa/Young Nick's Head, headland associated with Pāoa.
References
- ^ "Waipaoa River". Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1966.
- ^ Spedding, Michael (October 2006). The Turanganui River: A Brief History. Department of Conservation in association with NZ Historic Places Trust, Tairawhiti Museum and Eastland Port Co. Ltd. pp. 13–4. ISBN 0-478-14120-3.
- ^ a b "Environmental monitoring data for Waipaoa River". Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ "Waipaoa River control". The Press. NZPA. 1 December 1952. Retrieved 25 March 2023 – via paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
- ^ "Waipaoa Flood Control". Gisborne District Council. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "Waipaoa River at Matawhero Bridge River Quality". Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Orpin, Alan; Palmer, Alan; Dunbar, Gavin; Carter, Lionel; Wood, Matthew; Wilson, Gary; Alexander, Clark; Venherm, Claudia; Walsh, J. P.; Sumner, Ben; Kuehl, Steven; Gerber, Tommy; Marsaglia, Kathleen (1 December 2007). "Tracking the Waipaoa out to sea". NIWA. Retrieved 26 March 2023.