The Tākaka River lies in the northwest 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 runs north for 70 kilometres, entering Golden Bay near the town of

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay / Mohua, Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 (New Zealand), State Highway 60 r ...

Naming

Manawhenua Ki Mohua, an iwi-mandated organisation representing

Ngāti Tama Ngāti Tama is a Māori people, Māori iwi, tribe of New Zealand. Their origins, according to oral tradition, date back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru (canoe), Tokomaru waka (canoe), waka. Their historic region is in north Tar ...

, Ngāti Rārua, and

Te Āti Awa Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...

within

Golden Bay / Mohua Golden Bay / Mohua is a large shallow bay in New Zealand's Tasman District, near the northern tip of the South Island. An arm of the Tasman Sea, the bay lies northwest of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere and Cook Strait. It is protected in the nor ...

, and staff from the Tākaka Memorial Library, completed a research project in 2023 confirming the origin of many local Māori place names. They reported that Tākaka was a place name brought out from Tahiti in the 13th century, with an original spelling of ''Tā'a'a''. The previous explanation of the name was given in the 2010 edition of ''Place Names of New Zealand'' as such:

''Literally bracken ( Pteris esculentum).'' Either transferred from the Polynesian place name of Tahaʻa, the island next to Raʻiātea, or short for Te Toka-o-Tākaka, 'the stone of Tākaka'. Tākaka was a slave aboard the '' Kurahaupō'' canoe who was turned to stone when he searched for greenstone because such work was tapu.

Geography

The Tākaka River originates in Kahurangi National Park on the northern side of the Wharepapa / Arthur Range. It is formed by the confluence of Balloon Creek, which flows from the west, and Flora Stream, which joins it from the east-southeast. Flowing northward, the river flows for approximately . About north of Tākaka, the river discharges into the bay (Golden Bay / Mohua) that has the same name as the land area, at the northwestern end of the

.Coordinates and distance measurements were determined using Google Earth Pro Version 7.3.4.8248 on 26. November 2021

History

It was reported on 17 January 2007 that the Tākaka River is one of a growing number of South Island rivers to have a confirmed case of the invasive river weed didymo. In July 2020, the name of the river was officially gazetted as Tākaka River by the

New Zealand Geographic Board The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...

Gallery

Bridge over Takaka River by Cobb Power Station, Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand.jpg, Bridge over Takaka River by Cobb Power Station, Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand Takaka River 01.jpg, The Tākaka River seen from Lindsays Bridge Paines Ford 27.jpg, Tākaka River at Paines Ford,

References

{{Kahurangi National Park Rivers of the Tasman District Rivers of New Zealand Rivers of Kahurangi National Park Golden Bay