Awaroa River (Kawhia Harbour tributary) explained

Awaroa River
Source1 Location:near Te Koraha
Mouth Location:Kawhia Harbour
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:New Zealand
Pushpin Map:New Zealand

The Awaroa River is a river in the Ōtorohanga District on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from its source near Te Koraha through Hauturu to Kawhia Harbour.[1] The river passes through both pasture and indigenous forest.[2] Over half of the river is in forest.[3]

The name translates to "long river".[4] It is a name used by 33 other locations,[5] including two waterways in Northland (Awaroa River and another, rather longer, flowing into the Wairoa River), a river north of Kaiteriteri and 9 in Waikato Region (Awaroa River and 2 streams, flowing into the Waikato,[6] one flowing into Lake Whangape, another into Lake Waahi, another stream flowing into the Piako River, 2 Awaroa Streams in Coromandel, one flowing into Kennedy Bay and a tributary of the Opitonui River).[7]

The bridge carrying Harbour Road over the river was originally built in 1930.[8] In 1922 a launch ran from Kawhia to Awaroa, with a coach connection to Ōtorohanga.[9]

Veronica scopulorum ‘Awaroa’ is a naturally uncommon hebe, endemic to about half a dozen limestone outcrops in the head waters of the Awaroa River and northern Taumatatotara Range.[10] It is threatened by weed invasion, forest degradation and goat and possum browse.[11]

Awaroa Scenic Reserve, at the river's estuary,[12] covers [13] and has the fern Ophioglossum coriaceum, the orchid Bulbophyllum tuberculatum and the mistletoe Peraxilla tetrapetala.[14] The estuary upstream from Uenukutuhatu Rock has mangrove, seagrass, freshwater marsh clubrush and regenerating bush, with invasive black locust trees.[15]

Some coal was discovered in the valley in 1903,[16] but its quality was too poor to mine.[17]

The river was once used for navigation; in 1924 launch owners asked for willows to be removed.[18] A 1981 report said the willows didn't hinder navigation, but launches could only go as far as the road bridge.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Awaroa River, Waikato. 2021-06-08. NZ Topo Map. en.
  2. Web site: Environmental monitoring data for Awaroa River. 2021-06-08. Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA).
  3. Web site: Aug 2016. Hydrodynamic Model Calibration of the West Coast Harbours. live. Waikato Regional Council. https://web.archive.org/web/20210209061511/https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/WRC/WRC-2019/Final_report_Mapping_residence_times_in_west_coast_estuaries_eCoast_Aug2016.pdf . 9 February 2021 .
  4. Web site: 1000 Māori place names – Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week NZHistory online. 2017-12-20. nzhistory.govt.nz. en.
  5. Web site: New Zealand Gazetteer: Search for Place Names. 2017-12-20. Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). en-NZ.
  6. Web site: Awaroa River at Hauturu Road Bridge. 2017-12-20. www.lawa.org.nz.
  7. Web site: 2007. Minimum Flows for Ecosystem Health in Selected Coromandel Streams. Environment Waikato.
  8. Web site: 29 Mar 1930. BACKBLOCR AMENITIES. KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. live. 2021-06-08. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20210608100002/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/KCC19300329.2.38 . 8 June 2021 .
  9. Web site: 2 Nov 1922. WAIPA POST. live. 2021-06-19. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201119/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIPO19221102.2.3.2 . 24 June 2021 .
  10. Web site: Significant natural areas of the Otorohanga district: terrestrial and wetland ecosystems Technical Report 2016/36. live. Waikato Regional Council. https://web.archive.org/web/20210208110144/https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/WRC/WRC-2019/TR201636.pdf . 8 February 2021 .
  11. Web site: Veronica scopulorum. 2021-06-08. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. en.
  12. Web site: Kawhia Harbour (Awaroa) Scenic Reserve, WK, NZ. 2021-06-09. iNaturalist. en.
  13. Web site: Waikato Regional Council Technical Report 2016/36 Significant natural areas of the Otorohanga district: terrestrial and wetland ecosystems. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210609114657/https://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/WRCTR16-36.pdf . 9 June 2021 .
  14. Web site: June 1987. N.Z. Botanical Society Newsletter. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160122061643/http://nzbotanicalsociety.org.nz/newsletter/NZBotSoc-1987-08.pdf . 22 January 2016 .
  15. Web site: 2005. Estuarine Vegetation Survey – Kawhia Harbour. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210207195516/https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/WRC/WRC-2019/tr05-42.pdf . 7 February 2021 .
  16. Web site: 7 Feb 1903. KAWHIA COAL DEPOSITS. WAIKATO ARGUS. live. 2021-06-19. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200921/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIGUS19030207.2.17 . 24 June 2021 .
  17. Web site: 31 Aug 1910. Kawhia Coalmine WAIKATO ARGUS. live. 2021-06-19. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202145/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIGUS19100831.2.18 . 24 June 2021 .
  18. Web site: 25 Jan 1924. Kawhia Harbour Board KAWHIA SETTLER AND RAGLAN ADVERTISER. live. 2021-10-17. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20211017230911/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/KSRA19240125.2.14 . 17 October 2021 .
  19. Web site: G.D. & J.H. Egarr. 1981. New Zealand Recreational River Survey Pnrt Il. live. NIWA. https://web.archive.org/web/20210417002246/https://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/w&smp14.pdf . 17 April 2021 .

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