| Awarua River | |
| Pushpin Map: | New Zealand Fiordland#New Zealand South Island#New Zealand |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 270px |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of the Awarua River |
| Source1: | Waiuna Lagoon |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -44.3151°N 168.1421°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 15m (49feet) |
| Mouth Location: | Big Bay |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0m (00feet) |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -44.2931°N 168.1209°W |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | New Zealand |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Southland |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Southland |
The Awarua River is a short river that flows from the Waiuna Lagoon into Big Bay, also known as Awarua Bay, an embayment at the northern end of Fiordland in New Zealand. The river's mouth is at the northern end of Three Mile Beach, the Big Bay beach. One of the rivers that feeds Waiuna Lagoon is the Dry Awarua River.
The mouth of the Awarua River is near the western boundary between the West Coast Regional Council area and the Southland Regional Council areas. It was formerly the boundary between Canterbury Province and Otago Province from when they were created in 1853.