The Tukituki River is in the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

region of the eastern

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

of New Zealand. It flows from the

Ruahine Ranges The Ruahine Range is the largest of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its most pronounced from the ce ...

to the Pacific Ocean at the southern end of

Hawke Bay Hawke Bay (), formerly named ''Hawke's Bay'', is a large bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, surrounded by the Hawke's Bay region. It stretches from Māhia Peninsula in the northeast to Cape Kidnappers / Te Kauwae-a-Mā ...

. The river flows for , east and then northeast, passing through the town of

Waipukurau Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings, New ...

before flowing into Hawke Bay, close to the city of

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

. There, the Tukituki Valley is separated from

Havelock North Havelock North () is a town in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, situated less than 2 km south-east of the city of Hastings. It was a borough for many years until the 1989 reorganisation of local government saw it merg ...

and Hastings by the craggy range of hills that includes Te Mata Peak.

Etymology

The Māori name Tukituki roughly translates "to demolish", presumably referring to the power of the river in flood. Māori legend has it that there are two

taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respecte ...

living in lake at the southern end of the river that fought over a young boy after he fell into the lake. The struggle of the two taniwha was thought to split the river into the

Waipawa Waipawa is the second-largest town in Central Hawke's Bay (district), Central Hawke's Bay in the east of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of The town is located northeast of Waipukurau and southwest of Hastings, New Zeal ...

and Tukituki Rivers and thereby draining the lake.

References

External links

Tukituki River
in the 1966 ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'' Rivers of Hawke's Bay Rivers of New Zealand {{HawkesBay-river-stub

Etymology

See also

Tributaries

References

External links