| Little River | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Length: | 7km (04miles) |
| Mouth Elevation: | 314m (1,030feet) |
The Little River is a tributary of Rakaia River, about 7km (04miles) long, in the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand's South Island. It rises on the 2185m (7,169feet) Mount Hutt and enters the Rakaia 314m (1,030feet) above sea level.[1]
Little River is also the name of a short river, roughly 2km (01miles), on Stewart Island,[2] about a 2-hour walk from Oban.[3]
Wairewa marae, a marae (tribal meeting ground) of Ngāi Tahu and its Wairewa Rūnanga branch, is located at Little River.[4] It includes Te Mako wharenui (meeting house).[5]
MainPower’s Cleardale power station, was built in 2010. It takes up to 450l/second through a fibreglass penstock,[6] 2.3km (01.4miles) up from, and 300m (1,000feet) above,[7] the station, to drive a 1mW pelton wheel. Power is generated at 400 volts and transformed to feed into Electricity Ashburton's 11 kV network. Some water from the tailrace is used to irrigate 208ha,[8] with the remainder returned to the river.[9] The power station and penstock have been landscaped[10] and are now barely visible.[11]