| Matukituki River | |
|---|---|
 Matukituki River West Branch | |
 Route of the Makarora River | |
  Mouth of the Makarora River Show map of South Island.png) Matukituki River (New Zealand) Show map of New Zealand | |
| Native name | Mātakitaki (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Otago |
| District | Queenstown-Lakes |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Matukituki River East Branch |
| • coordinates | 44°19′00″S168°52′33″E / 44.3168°S 168.8758°E /-44.3168; 168.8758 |
| 2nd source | Matukituki River West Branch |
| • coordinates | 44°24′03″S168°40′39″E / 44.4008°S 168.6776°E /-44.4008; 168.6776 |
| Mouth | |
• location | Lake Wānaka |
• coordinates | 44°37′16″S169°00′32″E / 44.62116°S 169.00896°E /-44.62116; 169.00896 |
• elevation | 300 m (980 ft) |
| Length | 50 km (31 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Matukituki River →Lake Wānaka →Clutha River / Mata-Au →Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Hester Pinney Creek(east branch), Rob Roy Creek(west branch), MacPherson Creek(west branch), |
| • right | Homestead Creek(east branch), Glacier Burn(east branch),Kitchener River(east branch), Ruth Stream(east branch), Liverpool Stream(west branch), Rough Creek(west branch), Cascade Creek(west branch), Red Rock Stream(west branch), Brides Veil Stream(west branch), Wilsons Camp Stream(west branch), Downs Creek(west branch), Big Creek(west branch), Raspberry Creek(west branch), Wishbone Creek(west branch), Sheepyard Creek(west branch), |
TheMatukituki River is a shortbraided river in theSouthern Alps ofNew Zealand'sSouth Island. Both its West Branch and East Branch originate from the Main Divide mountain ranges nearMount Aspiring / Tititea. Their largely glacier-fed waters each flow for approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) before joining near Camerons Flat.[1] After this confluence, the Matukituki River leaves the boundaries ofMount Aspiring National Park and continues for another 30 kilometres (19 mi) to exit intoLake Wānaka at the lake's southwestern edge.
Six glaciers feed tributary streams to the Matukituki River, the largest being the Upper Volta Glacier,Rob Roy Glacier, Maud Francis Glacier, and the Avalanche Glacier.
From Camerons Flat onwards, the river is increasingly braided until it passes through a narrow gorge and under the West Wanaka bridge just before Lake Wānaka.
Most of the Southern Alps started over 220 million years ago as sediment and rock on top of volcanic rocks on the seafloor. Intense heat and pressure consolidated the rock, and then uplifted it to form theMain Divide. The present landscape was shaped by glacial processes during theice ages, when huge glaciers filled and scoured out the valleys.
The area around Mount Aspiring, called Tititea by theMāori, has a long history of Māori tribes coming from as far as Coastal Otago and theFoveaux Strait to the inland lakes to collectkākāpō,kererū,kākā andtūī from the forest.Moa would have also have lived along the forest edges for the first 200 years of Māori settlement.
The historic Māoriiwi (tribes) ofKāti Māmoe andNgāi Tahu both had named settlements around the shores of Lakes Wānaka andHāwea, including Nehenehe on the northern banks of the mouth of the Matukituki River, which they called "Mātakitaki".[2] Ovens for cookingtī kōuka (cabbage tree) roots have been found at several sites on the lake shore.[3]Ngāi Tahukaumātua recorded Mātakitaki as akāinga mahinga kai (food-gathering place) fortuna (eels),kāuru (cabbage tree root), andaruhe (bracken fernroot).[2]
The first European to see Mount Aspiring was government surveyor John Turnbull Thompson in 1857. The West Matukituki Valley was explored byJames Hector in 1862. Sheep and cattle farming began progressing up the valley in the 1870s.[3]
Today,beech is the dominant forest in the Matukituki Valley.Red beech prefers warmer valley sites, and is common just belowAspiring Hut.Silver beech grows increasingly towards the wetter, western end of the valley, whilemountain beech dominates the drier, eastern end. The understory of the typically open forests supports a variety of ferns and mosses. Above the tree line, at about 1,100 metres (3,600 ft), stunted, sub-alpine shrub land gives way to alpine tussock grasslands and fell fields.
Insect-eating birds such aspīwakawaka,tomtit andrifleman thrive in the beech forest, whereas the seed-eatingkākāriki specifically prefers areas of red beech.Paradise shelduck thrive on the river flats, and in summer,spur-winged plover andoystercatchers are a common sight on farmland and along the drive from Wānaka. The valley is also home to thekea,whio,South Island robin,rock wren, theSouth Island long tailed bat, and several species of lizards.[4]
The Matukituki River valley is home to a ski resort (Treble Cone), ajetboat operator (River Journeys) and numerous tramping (walking) trails providing access to landmarks such as the Rob Roy Glacier, theDart Saddle, and theCascade Saddle. The unsealed Wanaka - Mount Aspiring Road follows the river's true right for most of its course, past the confluence of the East Branch and West Branch, and part-way along the West Branch to aDepartment of Conservation NZ car park at the Raspberry Creek shelter.
The most popular walk in the area is the Rob Roy Glacier walk, which leads up a side valley to a view point beneath Rob Roy Glacier. The walking track crosses the Matukituki River West Branch over aswing bridge.[5]
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