The Mathias River is a river of the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

region of New Zealand's

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 ...

. It flows from its origins in three rivers (the North, South, and West Mathias Rivers) in the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...

. Of these, the North Mathias River is the longest, flowing predominantly southwards from its source northeast of Mount Williams. After its waters combine with those of the West Mathias River, which flows predominantly southwest for from its sources west of Mount Williams. The South Mathias River, a tributary of the West Mathias River, is a long easterly-flowing river which meets the West Mathias from its confluence with the North Mathias. The combined waters flow a further southeast across a braided, shingle

strath A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word , it is one of many that have been absorbed i ...

, which meets with the valley of the

Rakaia River The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The Rakaia River has a mean flow of and a mean annual seven-day low flow of . In the 1850s, Europ ...

west of

Lake Coleridge Lake Coleridge () is in inland Canterbury, New Zealand's South Island. It is located northwest of Methven and has a surface area of . The lake is situated in an over-deepened valley formed by a glacier over 20,000 years ago in the Pleistocene ...

. The river was named by Sir Julius von Haast after his companion Alured George Mathias, during his Rakaia trip.Reed, A.W. (1975). ''Place names of New Zealand''. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p.259

References

Rivers of the Canterbury Region Rivers of New Zealand {{CanterburyNZ-river-stub

See also

References