Waitaki River
| Waitaki | |
| River | |
 Lower Waitaki River pictured from the International Space Station
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| Country | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Regions | Canterbury, Otago |
| Districts | Waimate, Waitaki |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Ahuriri, Otematata, Maerewhenua |
| - right | Hakataramea |
| Cities | Otematata, Kurow, Duntroon, Glenavy |
| Landmarks | Benmore Dam, Aviemore Dam |
| Source | Southern Alps |
| - location | Lake Benmore, New Zealand |
| - coordinates | 44°21′S 170°12′E / 44.350°S 170.200°E |
| Source confluence | Ohau River and Tekapo Rivers |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 44°57′S 171°09′E / 44.950°S 171.150°ECoordinates: 44°57′S 171°09′E / 44.950°S 171.150°E |
| Length | 209 km (130 mi) |
| Discharge | for Kurow |
| - average | 356 m3/s (12,572 cu ft/s) |
 The Waitaki River system
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The Waitaki River is a large braided river that drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs some 110 kilometres (68 mi) south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It starts at the confluence of the Ohau River and the Tekapo River, now in the head of the artificial Lake Benmore, these rivers being fed by three large glacial lakes, Pukaki, Tekapo, and Ohau. The Waitaki flows through Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki, these lakes being contained by hydroelectric dams, Benmore Dam, Aviemore Dam and Waitaki Dam. The Waitaki has several tributaries, notably the Ahuriri River and the Hakataramea River. It passes Kurow and Glenavy before entering the Pacific Ocean.
The river’s flow is normally low in winter, with flows increasing in spring when the snow cloaking the Southern Alps begins to melt, with flows throughout the summer being rainfall dependent and then declining in the autumn as the colder weather begins to freeze the smaller streams and streams which feed the catchment. The median flow of the Waitaki River at Kurow is 356 cubic metres per second (12,600 cu ft/s).
The middle of the river bed formed a traditional political boundary between Canterbury and Otago. As such, the term "South of the Waitaki" is often used to refer to the Otago and Southland regions as one common area (the two regions share historical and ethnic relationships which make them distinct from the regions to the north of them).
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Wikipedia