New Zealand's rivers are quite numerous, but the vast majority are small rivers. Many of the country's rivers are suitable for rafting and kayaking.
Clutha River
Kluta ranks second in the list of the longest rivers in the country: its total length is three hundred thirty-eight kilometers.
The river originates in the lake (its southern part). Almost near the very source, Clutha receives two of its tributaries - the Javea and Cardrona rivers. The river travels across the country, choosing a south-eastern direction, and completes its journey, flowing into the Pacific Ocean (about seventy-five kilometers from Dunedin).
The river is characterized by high flow speed. The average water flow is six hundred fourteen cubic meters per second.
Whanganui River
The Wanganui is the third longest New Zealand river: the total length of its course reaches two hundred and ninety kilometers.
The source is located on the slopes of Mount Tongariro (northern part). The river quite often and abruptly changes direction and eventually flows into the Tasman Sea (in the territory of the city of Whanganui).
There are two tourist routes along the banks of the river: the Mangapurua trail (route length thirty-five kilometers); Matematheaonga trail (route length forty-two kilometers). The river itself is suitable for canoeing.
Taieri River
The length of Taieri is two hundred eighty-eight kilometers. The river originates in the Lammerloh Mountains. Then it goes down and takes a northerly direction. After which, passing the Pilar Mountains, it turns to the southeast. Taieri completes its journey, flowing into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, thirty-two kilometers from the city (south direction).
The river is navigable in the last twenty kilometers of its course. In its upper reaches the river forms numerous loops.
Rangitikei River
The total length of the river is two hundred and forty kilometers. The beginning of Rangitikei is located near the lake (southeast direction, Kaimanawa ridge). The drainage basin area is three thousand one hundred and ninety square kilometers. The river completes its path in the Tasman Sea.
The river passes through the central plateau through the towns of Mangaweka, Marton, Taihape, Hunterville and Bulls. The river's largest tributaries are the Hautapu and Moafango. The banks of the river are one of the popular vacation spots.
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Introduction
In my work I will try to tell basic information about New Zealand. I chose this state because it is not studied in the school curriculum, but, nevertheless, it is very interesting by all geographical assessments. Below are some basic information about New Zealand.
§ Capital of New Zealand: Wellington
§ New Zealand area(73rd in the world): 269,000 sq. km. (including the North (115,000 sq. km.) and South (151,000 sq. km.) islands, Stewart and Chatman islands, a number of small islands)
§ Highest point: Mount Cook - 3,754 m.
§ New Zealand coastline: 15, 134 km.
§ New Zealand's longest river: Waikato - 425 km.
§ New Zealand's largest natural body of water: Lake Taupo, depth - up to 163 m, area 606 sq. km.
§ Natural resources: iron ore, gas, oil, gold, coal, wood, quartz sand.
§ Natural hazards: Frequent but rarely strong earthquakes, volcanic activity, no snakes or poisonous insects.
§ New Zealand population (120th in the world): 3,800,000 (2000), 84% of the population lives in the North Island, 85% of the population lives in urban areas. Lifespan: men 74.85, women 80.93. Population growth: 1.17% (2000)
§ Birth rate: 14.28/1000 (2000)
§ Mortality rate: 7.57/1000 (2000)
§ Official language of New Zealand: English, Maori Currency unit: New Zealand dollar (NZD)
§ Public administration system: parliamentary democracy
§ New Zealand dialing code: 64
Geographical position
The state of New Zealand is located in southwest pacific. The main territory of the country consists of two islands, which have corresponding names - South Island and North Island. South and North Islands are separated Cook Strait. In addition, the country also includes 61 other islands, much smaller in area. The total area of the country is 268,680 sq. km.(which includes, in addition to the area of the main islands, the area of the Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Islands, Chatham Islands and the Kermadec Islands). This makes it slightly smaller in area than Italy and Japan, and slightly larger than the UK. New Zealand's coastline is 15,134 kilometers.
South Island is the largest island that makes up New Zealand. It is home to approximately one fourth of the country's population. A mountain range runs along the island from north to south Southern Alps, the highest peak of the stabbed is Mt. Mount Cook or Aoraki, tall 3754 meters. In addition to it, there are 18 more peaks on the South Island with a height exceeding 3000 meters. The eastern part of the island is flatter and is almost entirely occupied by agricultural farms. The West Coast is much less densely populated. Huge tracts of practically untouched nature with virgin flora and fauna have been preserved here. The western part is also famous for its numerous national parks, fjords and glaciers sliding down the slopes of the Southern Alps directly into the Tasman Sea.
North Island significantly less mountainous than the South. The highest point in the North Island is active Ruapehu volcano, height 2797 meters. The North Island is characterized by high volcanic activity; of the six volcanic zones in the country, five are located on it. Located in the heart of the North Island Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. It originates from it Waikato River, whose length is 425 kilometers, making it the longest river in New Zealand.
Lake Taupo, center of the North Island
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rivers of new zealand world, rivers of new zealand
New Zealand has a large number of rivers, but the vast majority of them are small streams. So, during a trip around the Taranaki volcano, located on North Island, a new river is encountered approximately every kilometer. In general, there are about 40 large river systems on Yuzhny Island, and about 30 on Severny Island.
Most New Zealand rivers are either rain-fed or snow-fed. Many of them originate in the highlands, then flowing down to the plains and ultimately flowing into either the Tasman Sea or the Pacific Ocean.
The longest river in the country is the Waikato River, which is 425 km long. The largest river in terms of water flow is the Kluta (about 614 m³/s).
Numerous bridges span many rivers that have wide floodplains or contain water-retaining dams. Thus, the longest bridge in New Zealand (1757 m) crosses the Rakaia River. The total length of the rivers shown on New Zealand maps is about 180 thousand km.
Since ancient times, New Zealand rivers have been widely used. Representatives of the indigenous New Zealand people, the Maori, as well as the first European colonists, used rivers for transportation. In total, about 1609 km of rivers in New Zealand are navigable, but most of them currently do not play an important transport role. Most of the rivers are currently used for tourism and recreation: rafting, rowing, kayaking. New Zealand is one of the few countries in Oceania that has developed hydroelectric power generation. Numerous hydroelectric dams operate on many New Zealand rivers.
- 1 List of the twenty longest rivers
- 2 Other rivers longer than 100 km
- 3 See also
- 4 Notes
- 5 Links
List of the twenty longest rivers
Main source: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/14687/new-zealands-longest-rivers
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| Name rivers |
Length (km) | Length (miles) | Basin area (km²) | Flows into | Flows across regions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Waikato | 425 | 264 | 13 701 | Tasman Sea | Waikato |
| 2. | Clutha | 322 | 200 | 21 960 | Pacific Ocean | Otago |
| 3. | Whanganui | 290 | 180 | 7380 | Tasman Sea | Manawatu-Wanganui |
| 4. | Taieri | 288 | 179 | 1865 | Pacific Ocean | Otago |
| 5. | Rangitikei | 241 | 150 | 3186 | Tasman Sea | Manawatu-Wanganui |
| 6. | Mataura | 240 | 149 | 728 | Foveaux Strait | Southland |
| 7. | Waiau | 217 | 135 | Foveaux Strait | Southland | |
| 8. | Waitaki | 209 | 130 | 11 820 | Pacific Ocean | Otago, Canterbury |
| 9. | Clarence (river) | 209 | 130 | 3289 | Pacific Ocean | Marlborough |
| 10. | Oreti (river) | 203 | 126 | 1160 | Foveaux Strait | Southland |
| 11. | Rangitaiki (river) | 193 | 120 | 2849 | Pacific Ocean | Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay |
| 12. | Manawatu (river) | 182 | 113 | 5947 | Tasman Sea | Manawatu-Wanganui |
| 13. | Buller (river) | 177 | 110 | 6501 | Tasman Sea | West Coast |
| 14. | Thames (or Waihou) | 175 | 109 | Pacific Ocean | Waikato | |
| 15. | Mohaka (river) | 172 | 107 | 2357 | Pacific Ocean | Hawke's Bay |
| 16. | Wairau (river) | 169 | 105 | 4222 | Cook Strait | Marlborough |
| 17. | Waiau | 169 | 105 | 3289 | Pacific Ocean | Canterbury |
| 18. | Fangaehu | 161 | Tasman Sea | Manawatu-Wanganui | ||
| 19. | Waimakariri | 161 | 100 | 2590 | Pacific Ocean | Canterbury |
| 20. | Mokau (river) | 158 | 98 | 1424 | Tasman Sea | Taranaki |
Other rivers longer than 100 km
- Avatere
- Aparima
- Matueka
- Ngaruroro (river)
- Patea
- Rakaia
- Rangitata
- Ruamahanga
- Tukituki
- Turakina
- Wairoa (Bay of Plenty)
- Wairoa (Northland)
- Hurunui
see also
- List of rivers of Oceania
Notes
- 1 2 3 Young, David. Rivers. How New Zealand rivers are formed. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved April 2, 2010. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.
- Murray, D. L. (1975). "Regional hydrology of the Clutha River" (Journal of Hydrology (N.Z.)) 14 (2): 85–98. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
Links
- Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand's longest rivers
| Oceania Countries: Rivers | |
|---|---|
|
Australia Vanuatu Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Fiji |
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| Dependent territories | |
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American Samoa Hawaii Guam Cook Islands Cocos Islands New Caledonia Christmas Island Norfolk Island Niue Easter Island Pitcairn Northern Mariana Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna French Polynesia |
rivers of new zealand, rivers of new zealand world, rivers of new zealand not
Rivers of New Zealand Information About
The river network on the New Zealand islands is very dense. There is a lot of precipitation and the rivers, especially in the North Island, are fed by rain. On the South Island, along with rain, melting snow and ice is of great importance. Evaporation is low and the rivers are high in water. Only on the Canterbury Plain do catastrophic floods occur from time to time, caused by the rapid melting of snow and ice. As a rule, rivers begin in the mountains and make their way along high and steep slopes, so they are characterized by fast flow and often form rapids and waterfalls. Coming out onto the plains, they slow down their flow, often divide into branches and deposit the material they brought from the mountains, piling up bars and shoals. In this regard, the rivers have little navigable importance and are used for these purposes only in separate sections isolated from each other. Some of them originate from lakes and are thus naturally regulated, which is of great importance in hydraulic construction, and hydropower is the main form of energy in New Zealand. Since the country is small, the rivers are not long. The longest are Waikato 354 km on the North Island and Clu-ta 338 km on the South Island. There are many picturesque deep lakes in the country. They have a varied origin, but are mainly divided into two types: volcanic on the North Island of Taupo, Rotorua and glacial at the foot and in the intermountain basins of the Southern Alps. The latter fill depressions made by ancient glaciers and are distinguished by significant depths. Thus, the depth of Lake Huakotipu reaches 379 m, Manapauri 445. The main source rocks on which soils are formed are represented by granites, limestones, sandstones, volcanic lavas, tuffs and ashes. As a rule, the soil varieties formed on them are sufficiently provided with mineral nutrients. For subtropical regions of the country, where there is especially a lot of moisture and heat, yellow soils are typical. A distinctive feature of this type of soil is the presence of a large amount of organic matter, which makes it very fertile and suitable for use in agriculture. These soils are developed not only in the extreme northern part of the country, on the Auckland Peninsula, but also on the plains in the vicinity of the Bay of Plenty, in the south-eastern part of the North Island and in the Westland province of the South Island. On the Canterbury Plain, once covered with steppe vegetation, and now plowed and occupied by a variety of crops, chernozem-like soils are developed. These are the most fertile soils in the country. They contain a lot of humus and minerals necessary for plants. The deep basins of the South Island are characterized by chestnut soils, which are also fertile and widely used for growing various crops. In the river valleys, alluvial soils were formed on alluvial formations, the fertility of which is also quite significant. Peat soils are common in swampy lowlands where there is excess moisture, and mountain forest and mountain meadow soils are common in mountainous areas.
New Zealand has a huge number of rivers, but at the same time, the vast majority of them are small rivers. So, during a trip around the Taranaki volcano, located on North Island, a new river is encountered approximately every kilometer. In general, there are about 40 large river systems on Yuzhny Island, and about 30 on Severny Island.
Most New Zealand rivers are either rain-fed or snow-fed. Many of them originate in the highlands, flowing down to the plains and ultimately flowing into either the Tasman Sea or the Pacific Ocean.
The longest river in the country is the Waikato River, which is 425 km long. The largest river in terms of water flow is the Kluta (about 614 m/s).
Numerous bridges span many rivers that have wide floodplains or contain water-retaining dams. Thus, the longest bridge in New Zealand (1757 m) crosses the Rakaia River. The total length of the rivers shown on New Zealand maps is about 180 thousand km.
Since ancient times, New Zealand rivers have been widespread. Representatives of the indigenous New Zealand people, the Maori, and, in addition, the first European colonists, used rivers for transportation. In total, about 1,609 km of rivers in New Zealand are navigable, but at the same time, most of them do not play an important transport role today. Most of the rivers today are used for tourism and recreation: rafting, rowing, kayaking. New Zealand is one of the few countries in Oceania that has developed hydroelectric power generation. Numerous hydroelectric dams operate on many New Zealand rivers.
