The Kawarau Gorge is a major river gorge created by the

Kawarau River The Kawarau River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains Lake Wakatipu in northwestern Otago via the lake's Frankton Arm. The river flows generally eastwards for about and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it join ...

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

, in 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. The towns of Queenstown and

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...

are linked by through the gorge. The gorge begins some 30 kilometres from Queenstown, close to the wine-growing community of

Gibbston Gibbston is a community in the Wakatipu Basin in the Otago region of the South Island, New Zealand. Through the valley runs the Kawarau River which forms the Kawarau Gorge. The most visible aspect of the area are the vineyards and wineries n ...

and the large rock outcrop known as the Nevis Bluff. It continues for some 25 kilometres before the river emerges into the upper valley of the

Clutha River The Clutha River (, officially gazetted as Clutha River / ) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the ...

close to the settlement of Ripponvale. The gorge is the site of several

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extre ...

, including

bungy jumping Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...

at the

Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge spans the Kawarau River in the Otago region in 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 ...

, and white-water sports such as kayaking and

riverboarding Riverboarding is a boardsport in which the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and as riverboarding or white-water sledging in New Zealand, dep ...

, and one of only two known areas where the nationally critical endangered fungus weevil '' Cerius otagensis'' has been found.

Name

The name ''Kawarau'' literally translates to ''many shrubs''. Kawa: shrub, rau: many.

History

The Kawarau gorge's first historical significance was as a travel route to the South Island's West Coast. A natural bridge, "Whatatorere", where the river narrows to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft), was important first to early

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

and then to goldminers as the only place the Clutha and Kawarau rivers could be crossed without boats. Māori were heading for the Cardrona Valley to reach

Wānaka Wānaka () is a popular ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. At the southern end of Lake Wānaka, it is at the start of the Clutha River and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wānaka ...

, and on to the

Haast Pass Haast Pass / Tioripatea is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. Māori used the pass in pre-European times. The pass takes its name from Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who also served as provinci ...

to seek

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word ...

. In the 1860s, the gorge was the site of much activity during the

Otago gold rush The Otago gold rush (often called the Central Otago gold rush) was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area � ...

. The preserved remains of several miner's cottages (notably those of Chinese migrants) can be seen above the banks of the river. The

Roaring Meg hydro scheme The Roaring Meg hydro scheme refers to two small hydro electricity power stations fed by the Roaring Meg Dam. The scheme is located next to the Roaring Meg Stream in the Kawarau Gorge, near Cromwell, New Zealand. Roaring Meg is owned and opera ...

and Goldfields Mining Centre are in the gorge. Visitors can experience panning for gold at the Goldfields Mining Centre. A 2004 accident resulted in two hundred litres of

hypochlorous acid Hypochlorous acid is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula , also written as HClO, HOCl, or ClHO. Its structure is . It is an acid that forms when chlorine dissolves in water, and itself partially dissociates, forming a hypochlorite an ...

spilling into the gorge, the acid cleaned the highway but caused no environmental damage. Three

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

soldiers died during a

training exercise A military exercise, training exercise, maneuver (manoeuvre), or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations. Military exercises are conducted to explore the effects of warfare or test tactics and strat ...

in 2005 when their

Unimog The Unimog (pronunciation in American English: ''YOU-nuh-mog''; British English: ''YOU-knee-mog''; German: , ) is a Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly offroad capable AWD vehicles produced since 1948. Utilizing engine-driven power tak ...

fell 100 m down the gorge into the river.

References

Canyons and gorges of Otago Otago gold rush {{Otago-geo-stub

Name

History

See also

References