The Waimakariri River is one of the largest rivers in
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 ...
, on the eastern coast 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 for in a generally southeastward direction from 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 ...
across the
Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and ...
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 ...
.
The river rises on the eastern flanks of the Southern Alps, eight kilometres southwest of
Arthur's Pass
Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explori ...
. For much of its upper reaches, the river is
braided, with wide shingle beds. As the river approaches the
Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and ...
, it passes through a belt of mountains, and is forced into a narrow canyon (the
Waimakariri Gorge), before reverting to its braided form for its passage across the plains. It enters the Pacific north of
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
, near the town of
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimak ...
.
Instead of being unoccupied Crown land as are most New Zealand river beds, the bed of the Waimakariri River is vested in the
Canterbury Regional Council
Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan, is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the Regions of New Zealand, regional council for Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, the largest region in the South Is ...
(Environment Canterbury).
Name
The name ''Waimakariri'' comes from the Māori words , meaning ''water'', and , meaning ''cold''. The river was briefly renamed as the ''Courtenay River'' in 1849 by the chief surveyor of the
Canterbury Association
The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of parliament, Peerage of the United Kingdom, peers, and Anglicanism, Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The se ...
,
Joseph Thomas, in honour of
Lord Courtenay. However, this name quickly fell into disuse in favour of the traditional Māori name.
The Waimakariri is colloquially referred to as the 'Waimak', a shortening of the Māori name.
Geography
The source of the Waimakariri is located in the Southern Alps, at the head of a valley to the west of
Arthur's Pass
Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explori ...
, where it is primarily fed by snow melt and glacial runoff. The river flows in a southerly direction, before turning east around the base of
Mount Stewart
Mount Stewart is a 19th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the Iris ...
. The river at this stage becomes
braided, and is joined by the
Bealey River as it flows across wide shingle beds.
As the river is joined by the
Esk River, the Waimakariri river is forced into a narrow series of gorges and ceases being braided. This continues as the river flows through the foothills of the Southern Alps, and its valley is used by the
Midland Line railway as part of its traverse of the Southern Alps. The river exits the foothills at the
Waimakariri Gorge, at which point it again expands to a braided system.
Once on the Canterbury Plains, the Waimakariri flows in a roughly east-south-easterly direction towards the Pacific Ocean. As with other braided river systems, the main channels frequently change within the primary riverbed, especially during periods of high flow rates. Geological evidence indicates that this mobility has extended to the river itself in the past, at times flowing through the current location of
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
into what is now the
Avon Heathcote Estuary, and in a different era flowing into
Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora
Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is a shallow coastal lake or waituna, in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is directly to the west of Banks Peninsula, separated from the Pacific Ocean by the long, ...
, to the south of
Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula () is a rocky peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand that was formed by two now-extinct volcanoes. It has an area of approximately . It includes two large deep-water harbours — Lyttelton Harbour a ...
. To protect Christchurch and other settlements near the river, multiple flood protections have been constructed either side of the river since European settlement, dating as early as the Canterbury Rivers Act 1868.
The river currently reaches the Pacific Ocean just to the north of Christchurch, entering
Pegasus Bay
Pegasus Bay, earlier known as Cook's Mistake, is a bay on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, to the north of Banks Peninsula.
Toponymy
Pegasus Bay takes its name from the brig ''Pegasus'', a sealing ship that was sailing from H ...
by way of Brooklands Lagoon. The Waimakariri marks one of only a few breaks in the roughly length of Pegasus Bay. Along with two other rivers which enter Pegasus Bay (
Ashley River / Rakahuri
The Ashley River (; officially Ashley River / Rakahuri) is in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand. It flows generally southeastwards for before entering the Pacific Ocean at Waikuku Beach, Pegasus Bay north of Christc ...
and
Waipara River), the Waimakariri is almost entirely responsible for the sediment which forms the bay and its coastal plain.
Bridges
Due to the size of the river, only a limited number of bridges cross the Waimakariri. From upstream to downstream, the current bridges are:
;Waimakariri Falls
This simple suspension bridge is just downstream from the Waimakariri Falls located on a
tramping track close to the Waimakariri Falls Hut.
;Bealey Bridge
The Bealey Bridge is located immediately upstream from where the Bealey River flows into the Waimakariri. It is part of
State Highway 73. Bealey Bridge is single-lane, with a passing bay in the middle. It is in a remote location and does not cater for pedestrians.
;Midland Line bridge #42
Some downstream from the Bealey Bridge, the
Midland Line crosses the river.
KiwiRail
KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise (SOE) responsible for rail operations in New Zealand and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered at 604 Great South Road, Ellerslie, New Zealand, Ell ...
records this bridge as number 42 on its bridge asset list.
It is located where Red Beech Stream flows into the Waimakariri.
;Mount White Bridge
The Mount White Bridge is, ''
as the crow flies
The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points.
Etymology
The meaning of the expression is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in the Charles Dickens novel ''Oliver Twist'' (1838):
...
'', located downstream from the KiwiRail bridge. It is much older than the Bealey Bridge. The abutment on the left bank of the Waimakariri is located within the delta created by the
Hawdon River.
;Waimakariri Gorge Bridge
The Waimakariri Gorge Bridge is, ''as the crow flies'', located downstream from the Mount White bridge. This bridge was completed in 1877 and originally served both road and rail traffic (of the
Oxford Branch). The bridge is on the register of
Heritage New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
as a Category II structure.
;SH1 Waimakariri Bridges
The SH1 Waimakariri Bridges are twin bridges connecting
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
with the region north of the Waimakariri River via
State Highway 1. It is located downstream from the Waimakariri Gorge Bridge. As part of the
Christchurch Northern Motorway, each bridge was widened from two to three lanes during 2020, plus a cycleway added.
;Main North Road bridge
Just downstream from the state highway bridges is the Main North Road bridge, often referred to as the Old Waimakariri Bridge. This two-lane traffic bridge does not cater for walking or cycling.
;Main North Line bridge #17
Immediately downstream from the Main North Road bridge, the
Main North Line crosses the river. Kiwirail records this bridge as number 17 on its bridge asset list.
Ecology
As one of the largest rivers on the Canterbury plains, the Waimakariri is an important habitat for wildlife, including many endangered species of plants and animals. The dry sections of riverbed are home to
black-fronted tern
The black-fronted tern (''Chlidonias albostriatus''), sea martin, ploughboy, or tarapiroe Māori language, (Māori), is a medium-small tern endemic to New Zealand. Black-fronted terns can be found in coastal habitats from the southern tip of th ...
s, where braids in the river provide a natural barrier to predators.
The river and its tributaries are home to native species, including
crayfish / ''kōura'',
New Zealand longfin eel
The New Zealand longfin eel (''Anguilla dieffenbachii'') is a species of freshwater eel that is endemic to New Zealand. It is the largest freshwater eel in New Zealand and the only endemic species – the other eels found in New Zealand are the ...
,
short-finned eel
The short-finned eel (''Anguilla australis''), also known as the shortfin eel, is one of the 15 species of eel in the family Anguillidae. It is native to the lakes, dams and coastal rivers of south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and much of th ...
,
lamprey
Lampreys (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are a group of Agnatha, jawless fish comprising the order (biology), order Petromyzontiformes , sole order in the Class (biology), class Petromyzontida. The adult lamprey is characterize ...
and many species of invertebrates. The river is one of the few remaining habitats for the critically endangered
Canterbury mudfish (kowaro), which previously inhabited wetlands across the Canterbury plains, while a portion of its riverbank is home to one of only two known remaining populations of ''
Olearia adenocarpa
''Olearia'', most commonly known as daisy-bush, is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae, the largest of the flowering plant families in the world. Olearia are found in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. The genus i ...
''.
Introduced fish are common along the entirety of the Waimakariri River, making the river a popular location for fishing. As with most of New Zealand, this primarily includes
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black.
In the ...
and
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
, as well as
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...
(''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha''). The salmon population dates to the early 1900s, when they were introduced from California, and results in large salmon runs near the river mouth in summer.
Development
In 1923 the river was mainly investigated for a hydroelectric dam to supply electricity to Christchurch. It received support from the community but the dam was never built since the Government offered inexpensive electricity from the
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 ...
scheme.
The
Central Plains Water Trust is proposing to take of water from two points on the Waimakariri River as part of the
Central Plains Water enhancement scheme.
Pollution
In 2007 the Waimakariri was ranked as one of the ten most polluted of the larger rivers in New Zealand. Some of the pollution was caused by liquid wastes from industries such as a meat processing plant and wool scourers in the vicinity of the river. The wastes were discharged directly into it but as of 2012 it was piped to the municipal
sewage treatment plant
Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water p ...
. There had been some non-compliance issues with the
resource consent
A resource consent is the authorisation given to certain activities or uses of natural and physical resources required under the New Zealand Resource Management Act (the "RMA"). Some activities may either be specifically authorised by the RMA or ...
s for water discharge.
Cultural references
The Waimakiriri River is described in several works by author
Ruth France. Her poem "After Flood", published under the pseudonym "Paul Henderson", describes "the alive / Roar of the river loud on the loose", and as being an "age-long wanderer, age-wily". Her novel, ''Ice Cold River'' (1961), describes the flooding of a family farm at Christmas after the Waimakariri River bursts through a stopbank:
The water advanced so slowly and quietly that it seemed no more than the tide making in an estuary backwater.... ite suddenly, the lake of water seemed to lift itself, hurled itself over the garden and against the house in a wave that thumped as did a blasting operation at a distance. Immediately the house was surrounded, and the wave went on, eating up the fields with rapid teeth of dirty foam, in which sticks and grass and debris turned over, were engulfed, and reappeared in an endless sucking whirlpool.
References
External links
Waimakariri River Regional Planat
Environment CanterburyThe Waimakariri River as a water resource. Dalmer, 1971
{{Arthur's Pass National Park
Hurunui District
Rivers of the Canterbury Region
Rivers of New Zealand
Braided rivers in New Zealand
Waimakariri District
Arthur's Pass National Park