| Makatote River | |
| Image Alt: | The Makatote Viaduct over the Makatote River |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | New Zealand |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Ruapehu |
| Length: | 30km (20miles) |
| Source1: | Mount Ruapehu |
| Source1 Elevation: | 2050m (6,730feet) |
| Mouth: | Manganui o te Ao River |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -39.2731°N 175.3511°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 595m (1,952feet) |
| Progression: | Makatote River → Manganui o te Ao River → Whanganui River |
| River System: | Whanganui River |
| Bridges: | Makatote Viaduct |
The Makatote River is a river of the centre of New Zealand's North Island. It flows west from the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, and from the Hauhungatahi Wilderness Area,[1] before entering rough hill country, veering southwest and entering a gorge cut almost 100m (300feet) into the volcanic rocks. It joins with the waters of several smaller streams to become the Manganui o te Ao River, part of the Whanganui River system.[2]
The river is part of a water conservation order catchment to protect indigenous fish including lamprey, longfinned eel, short-finned eel, common smelt, banded kokopu, short-jawed kokopu, koaro, torrentfish, redfinned bully, common bully, and Cran's bully. Trees in the gorge include rimu, matai and maire.[3] The main trees logged were rimu, matai, kahikatea, totara and miro.[4] The lowest 3km (02miles) of the river is monitored for its whio population.[5] A proposal to create a track to Te Kohatu waterfall was rejected as being inappropriate for a wilderness area.[6]
The river is spanned by the third largest railway viaduct in the country,[7] which is 79m (259feet) high.[8] SH4 (originally built by the railway for access to its construction sites)[3] crosses on a much lower bridge near the viaduct.[9]
Just to the north of the viaduct, the Makatote Tramway has a Category 2 listing by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, with remnants of rails, skid sites, a log hauler, water pits and bogie wheels. In the 1930s Western Red Cedar and Lawson's Cypress were planted near the tramway by the State Forests Service as part of a wider experimental high-altitude planting programme. Japanese Cedar, Douglas Fir, Ponderous Pine, Weymouth Pine and Sugar Pine were also considered for the experiment.[10]
