Waihao River

The Waihao River is a natural watercourse in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows into the Wainono Lagoon near Studholme.

Its headwaters are in the Hunter Hills, foothills of the Southern Alps, and its catchment area is 550 square kilometres (210 sq mi). The catchment receives approximately 1,000 millimetres (39 in) of rain annually. In its upper reaches, the river has two branches, the North Branch and South Branch, which join together at Waihao Forks. The river is well defined, but when it nears the coast, it becomes a braided river and has a floodplain of 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi). When it reaches the coast, the river turns and flows northwards, being joined by the Waimate Creek before discharging into the Wainono Lagoon in Studholme, a locality to the east of the town of Waimate. However, a culvert known as the Waihao Box has been cut into the gravel berm that separates the river from the Pacific Ocean to provide permanent sea access.

The river is crossed by two major roads. State Highway 1 crosses it near the coast between Willowbridge and Morven, while State Highway 82 crosses it inland at Waihao Forks. Near the State Highway 1 crossing, it is also crossed by the Main South Line railway, and inland, it was formerly crossed by the Waimate Gorge Branch. This branch line closed in 1953 and the bridges have been removed.

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