Cox River (New Zealand)

Cox River is a river of the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It arises in the Crawford Range of the Southern Alps and flows generally southward through the Arthur's Pass National Park to join the Poulter River.[1] The river was named for J. W. M. Cox, a landholder in the 1860s at the junction of Cox River and Bull Creek.[2]

Cox River
Map
Route of the Cox River
Cox River (New Zealand) is located in New Zealand
Cox River (New Zealand)
Mouth of the Cox River
Cox River (New Zealand) is located in South Island
Cox River (New Zealand)
Cox River (New Zealand) (South Island)
Location
CountryNew Zealand
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationCrawford Range
 • coordinates42°44′41″S 171°54′25″E / 42.7448°S 171.907°E / -42.7448; 171.907
 • elevation1,250 m (4,100 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Poulter River
 • coordinates
42°54′02″S 171°58′00″E / 42.90067°S 171.96676°E / -42.90067; 171.96676
 • elevation
540 m (1,770 ft)
Length29 km (18 mi)
Basin features
ProgressionCox River → Poulter River East Branch → Poulter RiverWaimakariri RiverPegasus BayPacific Ocean
Tributaries 
 • leftEllis Stream, Cochran Stream
 • rightMontgomery Stream, Row Stream, Beckett Stream

Geomorphology

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Prior to glaciation the Cox River flowed through the Pūkio Stream valley, discharging into the Esk River, a lower tributary of the Waimakariri River. This route was later blocked by a series of terminal moraines deposited by the Cox glacier during the Pleistocene period. The river then created a new outlet through to the main Poulter valley via a rocky gorge, known as McArthur Gorge, which now contains the East Branch of the Poulter.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. Map 70. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
  2. ^ Discover New Zealand:A Wises Guide (9th ed.). 1994. p. 372.
  3. ^ Gair, HS (11 April 1962). "Notes on the Geology of the Esk Valley, Canterbury". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 5 (4). The Royal Society of New Zealand: 531–. Bibcode:1962NZJGG...5..531G. doi:10.1080/00288306.1962.10423093.