Mōkau River

The Mōkau River is located in the North Island of New Zealand.

Mōkau River
The Mōkau river near the mouth
Mōkau River basin (Interactive map)
Native name	Mōkau (Māori)
Location
Country	New Zealand
Region	Waikato
District	Waitomo
Physical characteristics
Source	Pureora Forest
• location	about 1 km south of Magokewa, near State Highway 30
• coordinates	38°28′23″S 175°17′38″E
Mouth	North Taranaki Bight
• coordinates	38°42′22″S 174°36′54″E
Length	158 kilometres (98 mi)

The river rises as a spring in the Pureora Forest, south of Te Kūiti, on the slopes of the Rangitoto Range. After briefly following a north-westward course, it turns south-westwards and flows for 158 kilometres (98 mi) through the Waitomo District of the King Country. It enters the North Taranaki Bight at its mouth at the town of Mōkau.

Although the rivermouth is enclosed by a large sandbar, with a high tide, larger vessels can pass safely and enter the river, which is navigable for 37 kilometres (23 mi) upstream. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the banks of the river were host to a thriving industry of logging and coal-mining. However, the risks and costs of transporting goods down the Mōkau eventually ended such enterprise.

Today the river is a popular whitebaiting and kayaking location.

See also

Wairere Power Station

References

• "Mokau River", An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966
• SS Mokau, Mōkau River, 1908

Further reading

• Mokau River resource inventory, New Plymouth, [N.Z.]: Dept. of Lands and Survey, 1986
• Gray, Brian E. (2007), The vital link : crossing the Mokau, Urenui, [N.Z.]: Pilot Gardens
• Hanchet, Stuart M.; Hayes, John W. (1989), Fish and fisheries values of the Mokau River and tributaries draining the Mokau coalfield, Rotorua, [N.Z.]: Freshwater Fisheries Centre, MAFFish
• Needham, Brad (2004), The variation in river mouth dynamics, spit and shoreline morphology at Mokau (M.Sc., University of Waikato)
• Smith, Brian J. (2007), Adult aquatic insect fauna of the Mokau River, Hamilton East, [N.Z.]: Environment Waikato Regional Council

External links

• Puke Ariki - Shooting Up The Mokau River
• Puke Ariki - Mokau River Holds Stories of Past
• Wairere Falls on 1:50,000 map
• Wairere Falls in 1908 - photo in Auckland Weekly News 30 JANUARY 1908 p13 (AWNS-19080130-13-1)
• 2014 upgrade of Wairere Falls power station and cross section
• Plan for additional power station shelved in 2011
• Auckland Weekly News photo of 1927 opening of Mokau Bridge