| Stanley River | |
| Pushpin Map: | New Zealand#New Zealand South Island |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 270px |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of the Stanley River |
| Source1: | Douglas Range |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -40.9776°N 172.5664°W |
| Source2: | Douglas Range |
| Source2 Coordinates: | -40.9873°N 172.569°W |
| Mouth Location: | Waingaro River |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -41.0448°N 172.6775°W |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | New Zealand |
| Progression: | Stanley River → Waingaro River → Tākaka River → Golden Bay / Mohua → Tasman Sea |
The Stanley River is a river of the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows southeast from its sources in the Douglas and Anatoki Ranges, reaching the Waingaro River 12 kilometres west of Upper Takaka.[1] [2]
The long Lake Stanley has the Stanley River as both its inflow and outflow. Above the lake the river has two branches, both called Stanley River. The lake is above sea level,[3] up to wide and deep. The landslide lake was dammed when a spur of Mt Snowdon collapsed down a slope about high, during the 1929 Murchison Earthquake. The earthquake also formed Lower Lake Lindsay by a similar landslide, in the next valley to the north.[4] In 2016 the Soper Shelter was built near the lake, replacing an earlier backcountry hut in the landslip area.[5] Lake Sparrow is a tarn in the upper catchment of the valley.[6]
The entire length of the Stanley river is within Kahurangi National Park. The valley is used by the Anatoki Forks Hut to Waingaro Forks Hut section of the Historic Kill Devil Pack Track,[7] which crosses the landslip.[8]