Waikato River

File:Huka falls canyon Taupo NZ.jpg

The Waikato River rushing through the Huka Falls canyon at Taupo.

The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. It flows for 425 kilometers through the North Island. It starts on Mount Ruapehu, joins the Tongariro River system, and passes through Lake Taupo. After draining Taupo, it forms the Huka Falls and flows northwest across the Waikato Plains. The river ends at the Tasman Sea south of Auckland, known as Port Waikato.

The Waikato region surrounds the Waikato Plains. The Waikato river's current course was shaped about 17,000 years ago due to factors like climate changes and forest regrowth. Its main tributary is the Waipa River which joins it at Ngaruawahia.

Name

File:Waikato River mouth.jpg

The mouth of the river at Port Waikato.

The name Waikato means flowing water in Maori. For local Maori tribes, especially the Tainui, the Waikato River holds spiritual significance and is a source of pride (mana). The Turangawaewae marae (sacred place), which is highly respected, is located near the riverbanks in Ngaruawahia.

Waikato River Media

• Ohakuri Dam.jpg

  Ohakuri Dam, midway between Taupō, Rotorua and Hamilton

• Huntly Power Station.JPG

  Huntly Power Station uses water from the Waikato River for cooling

• Lake Karapiro boat (73761064).jpg

  A boat on Lake Karapiro

• Waipa Delta and railway bridge.jpg

  Waipa Delta ran cruises on the Waikato River at Hamilton from 1985 to 2009

• Te Awa cycleway near the Velodrome.jpg

  The last section of Te Awa cycleway from Hamilton to Cambridge includes extensive lengths of boardwalk

• Waikato Waitomo Area Stream.jpg

  A tributary stream in the Waitomo District showing agriculture-induced erosion

Related pages

• Climate of New Zealand
• Polynesian people