The Taieri River (a misspelling of the original Māori name ''Taiari'' ) is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is in

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

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 ...

. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea south of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. The upper reaches meander in a series of convoluted loops across a floodplain above

Paerau Paerau is a small settlement in inland Central Otago in New Zealand's South Island. It is located in the Strath Taieri, the upper valley of the Taieri River, at the foot of the Rock and Pillar Range. "Paerau" is a Māori-language name meaning "on ...

, close to the aptly named locality of Serpentine; the river has created many small

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...

s in this area, some of which have been converted into

water meadow A water-meadow (also water meadow or watermeadow) is an area of grassland subject to controlled irrigation to increase agricultural productivity. Water-meadows were mainly used in Europe from the 16th to the early 20th centuries. Working water ...

s. From here the river runs through two small

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

power stations before reaching Patearoa in

The Maniototo The Maniatoto Plain, usually simply known as The Maniatoto, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to ...

. The Taieri then arcs through almost 180 degrees, entering a broad glacial valley (the

Strath-Taieri The Strath Taieri (sometimes spelt Strath-Taieri) is a large glacial valley and river plateau in New Zealand's South Island. It is surrounded by the rugged hill ranges to the north and west of Otago Harbour. Since 1989 it has been part of the cit ...

) surrounded by rugged hill ranges. Immediately downstream the river has cut a steep-sided declivity, the

Taieri Gorge The Taieri Gorge is located on the Taieri River, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is a deep canyon carved by the Taieri River on the middle stage of its journey from Central Otago to the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the large ...

. This is known for the

Taieri Gorge Railway Dunedin Railways (formerly the Taieri Gorge Railway) is the trading name of Dunedin Railways Limited, an operator of a railway line and tourist trains based at Dunedin Railway Station in the South Island of New Zealand. The company is a counci ...

, which follows a route into

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 ...

through it. In the Taieri's lower reaches there is a broad floodplain (the

Taieri Plains The Taieri Plain (also referred to in the plural as the Taieri Plains) is an area of fertile agricultural land to the southwest of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. The plain covers an area of some 300 square kilometres, with a maximum extent o ...

) containing much of Otago's most fertile farmland. The river then flows through the lower Taieri Gorge to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

Taieri Mouth Taieri Mouth is a small fishing village at the mouth of the Taieri River, New Zealand. Taieri Island (Moturata) lies in the ocean several hundred metres off the river's mouth. It has a white sand beach for swimming and several picnic areas. Mot ...

Taieri Island Taieri Island / Moturata, also called Taieri Island, is an island in the mouth of the Taieri River in southern New Zealand. It is connected to the mainland by a sandy causeway at low tide. The island is a nature reserve, and is home to many pr ...

lies in the Pacific Ocean several hundred metres from the mouth of the river. The Taieri is long, of which the last are navigable. Despite its length the Taieri has a minimal amount of water volume compared to other New Zealand rivers with its average discharge being around . Towns along the river include

Middlemarch ''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, in 1829 ...

, Outram, Allanton,

Mosgiel Mosgiel () is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin City Council area. Mosgiel has a p ...

Henley Henley may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Henley, Dorset, a location * Henley, Gloucestershire, a location *Henley-on-Thames, a town in South Oxfordshire, England **Henley (UK Parliament constituency) ** Henley Rural District, a former rural ...

, and

. Its major tributary is the

Waipori River The Waipori River is a river in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it flows southeast for before joining the Taieri River near Henley, southwest of Dunedin of which it is officially the southernmost bor ...

, which meets the Taieri near Henley on the Taieri Plains. Google Maps erroneously shows the stretch of the river from the confluence to the mouth as Waipori River. The official correct name is shown on the New Zealand government's official NZ Topo Map. However, while Taieri is the official name of the river, this name is known to be a misspelling of the Te Reo Māori word ''Taiari'', meaning ''spring tide'' or ''shining water''.
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Gallery

Taieri at Allanton.jpg, The Taieri River at Allanton View of a railway line winding along the hills above the Taieri River, circa 1926 ATLIB 311897.png, Section of Taieri River and adjacent railway line circa 1926 Hyde - Macraes bridge over Taieri River, Otago, NZ.jpg, Hyde-Macraes Bridge Taieri Mouth Bridge.jpg, Taieri Mouth Bridge Moturata.jpg,

Taieri Island / Moturata Taieri Island / Moturata, also called Taieri Island, is an island in the mouth of the Taieri River in southern New Zealand. It is connected to the mainland by a sandy causeway at low tide. The island is a nature reserve, and is home to many pr ...

, offshore from the mouth of the Taieri River

References

External links

Taieri River
at Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand {{Dunedin Rivers of Otago Rivers of New Zealand Rivers of Dunedin