The Ōpaoa River, formerly called the Opawa River, is in the

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

region of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It begins in the Wairau valley where floodways are joined. It makes its way down the valley and flows through and looping around the eastern suburbs of Blenheim where it is crossed by the Opawa River Bridge. It joins the Taylor River in Blenheim (keeping the Ōpaoa name) and flows into Big Lagoon, the estuary it shares with the southern mouth of the

Wairau River The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for from the Spenser Mountains (a northern range of the Southern Alps), firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley i ...

at Cloudy Bay. There are two possible sources for the river's name. It might have been named after the chief Paoa.

Rangitāne Rangitāne is a Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough areas of New Zealand. The iwi was formed as one of two divisions (aside from Muaūpoko) of the expedition team led by Wh ...

iwi say that the name Ōpaoa literally means smoky river. With Blenheim built on swampy land, the river was often brown (or 'smoky') as a consequence. In August 2014, the name of the river was officially altered to Ōpaoa River.

References

Rivers of the Marlborough District Rivers of New Zealand {{Marlborough-river-stub