Tasman River Explained

Tasman River
Pushpin Map:New Zealand#New Zealand South Island
Pushpin Map Size:270px
Pushpin Map Caption:Mouth of the Tasman River
Source1 Location:Tasman Lake
Source1 Coordinates:-43.7064°N 170.1717°W
Source1 Elevation:715m (2,346feet)[1]
Mouth Location:Lake Pukaki
Mouth Elevation:518to[2]
Mouth Coordinates:-43.905°N 170.175°W
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:New Zealand
Length:25km (16miles)[3]
Progression:Tasman RiverLake PukakiPukaki RiverTekapo RiverLake BenmoreLake AviemoreLake WaitakiWaitaki RiverPacific Ocean
Tributaries Left:Gorilla Stream, Oatmeal Creek, Chop Creek, Parsons Creek, Lily Stream, Bullrock Stream, Andrews Creek, Waits Creek, Joes Creek, McLeod Creek, Micks Creek, Jollie River, Coxs Creek
Tributaries Right:Blue Stream, Hooker River, Black Birch Stream, Sawyer Stream, Birch Hill Stream, Elbow Stream, Freds Stream, Bush Stream, Slip Stream

The Tasman River is an alpine braided river flowing through Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.

The river's headwaters are in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, where it is the outflow of the proglacial Tasman Lake. It is also fed by the glacial waters of the tributary Murchison River, from Murchison Glacier, and the short Hooker River, an outflow of the proglacial lakes of the Hooker and Mueller glaciers.

The Tasman River flows south for 25km (16miles) through the wide flat-bottomed Tasman Valley in the Southern Alps and into the northern end of the glacial Lake Pukaki, this forming part of the ultimate headwaters of the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme.

In 2019 a report was released giving the results of a pilot study on the invertebrate biodiversity present in the Tasman River flood plain.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tasman Lake, Canterbury – NZ Topo Map. NZ Topo Map. Land Information New Zealand. 2016-09-16.
  2. Web site: Lake Pūkaki lake levels. Meridian Energy. 2016-09-16.
  3. Web site: Tasman River, Canterbury – NZ Topo Map. NZ Topo Map. Land Information New Zealand. 2016-09-16.
  4. Web site: Murray . Tara J. . 15 September 2019 . Invertebrates of the Tasman River Plain: Characteristics of the invertebrate community and an analysis of sampling methods for biodiversity assessment . 1 January 2024 . www.doc.govt.nz.