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Awaroa River (Kawhia Harbour tributary)

Coordinates: 38°05′23″S 174°54′54″E / 38.08972°S 174.91500°E / -38.08972; 174.91500
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Awaroa River
Awaroa River bridge and Hauturu in 2019
Awaroa River (Kawhia Harbour tributary) is located in New Zealand
Awaroa River (Kawhia Harbour tributary)
Location
CountryNew Zealand
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationnear Te Koraha
 • elevation519 m (1,703 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Kawhia Harbour
 • coordinates
38°05′23″S 174°54′54″E / 38.08972°S 174.91500°E / -38.08972; 174.91500
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length28 km (17 mi)
Basin size109 km2 (42 sq mi)

The Awaroa River is a river in the Ōtorohanga District on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from its source near Te Koraha through Hauturu to Kawhia Harbour.[1] The river passes through both pasture and indigenous forest.[2] Over half of the river is in forest.[3]

The name translates to "long river".[4] It is a name used by 33 other locations,[5] including two waterways in Northland (Awaroa River and another, rather longer, flowing into the Wairoa River), a river north of Kaiteriteri[5] and 9 in Waikato Region (Awaroa River and 2 streams, flowing into the Waikato,[6] one flowing into Lake Whangape, another into Lake Waahi, another stream flowing into the Piako River, 2 Awaroa Streams in Coromandel, one flowing into Kennedy Bay[5] and a tributary of the Opitonui River).[7]

The bridge carrying Harbour Road over the river was originally built in 1930.[8] In 1922 a launch ran from Kawhia to Awaroa, with a coach connection to Ōtorohanga.[9]

Veronica scopulorum ‘Awaroa’ is a naturally uncommon hebe, endemic to about half a dozen limestone outcrops in the head waters of the Awaroa River and northern Taumatatotara Range.[10] It is threatened by weed invasion, forest degradation and goat and possum browse.[11]

Awaroa Scenic Reserve, at the river's estuary,[12] covers 692.84 ha (1,712.0 acres)[13] and has the fern Ophioglossum coriaceum, the orchid Bulbophyllum tuberculatum and the mistletoe Peraxilla tetrapetala.[14] The estuary upstream from Uenukutuhatu Rock has mangrove, seagrass, freshwater marsh clubrush and regenerating bush, with invasive black locust trees.[15]

Some coal was discovered in the valley in 1903,[16] but its quality was too poor to mine.[17]

The river was once used for navigation; in 1924 launch owners asked for willows to be removed.[18] A 1981 report said the willows didn't hinder navigation, but launches could only go as far as the road bridge.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Awaroa River, Waikato". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Environmental monitoring data for Awaroa River". Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Hydrodynamic Model Calibration of the West Coast Harbours" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. August 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2021.
  4. ^ "1000 Māori place names – Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week NZHistory online". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "New Zealand Gazetteer: Search for Place Names". Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Awaroa River at Hauturu Road Bridge". www.lawa.org.nz. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Minimum Flows for Ecosystem Health in Selected Coromandel Streams" (PDF). Environment Waikato. 2007.
  8. ^ "BACKBLOCR AMENITIES. KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 29 March 1930. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  9. ^ "WAIPA POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 November 1922. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Significant natural areas of the Otorohanga district: terrestrial and wetland ecosystems Technical Report 2016/36" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Veronica scopulorum". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Kawhia Harbour (Awaroa) Scenic Reserve, WK, NZ". iNaturalist. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Waikato Regional Council Technical Report 2016/36 Significant natural areas of the Otorohanga district: terrestrial and wetland ecosystems" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2021.
  14. ^ "N.Z. Botanical Society Newsletter" (PDF). June 1987. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Estuarine Vegetation Survey – Kawhia Harbour" (PDF). 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2021.
  16. ^ "KAWHIA COAL DEPOSITS. WAIKATO ARGUS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 February 1903. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Kawhia Coalmine WAIKATO ARGUS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 August 1910. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Kawhia Harbour Board KAWHIA SETTLER AND RAGLAN ADVERTISER". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 25 January 1924. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  19. ^ G.D. & J.H. Egarr (1981). "New Zealand Recreational River Survey Pnrt Il" (PDF). NIWA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2021.
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