Clutha River
The Clutha River (Māori: Mata-Au, officially gazetted as Clutha River / Mata-Au) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast 338 kilometres (210 mi) through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres (47 mi) south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of 21,000 square kilometres (8,100 sq mi), discharging a mean flow of 614 cubic metres per second (21,700 cu ft/s). The river is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. A river conservation group, the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group, is working to establish a regional river parkway, with a trail, along the entire river corridor.
| Clutha River Mata-Au, Molyneux | |
|---|---|
Upper Clutha Valley, looking upriver toward the Southern Alps | |
Clutha River basin (Interactive map) | |
| Etymology | Mata-au: current in the water. Clutha: from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde |
| Native name | Mata-Au (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Otago |
| Settlements | Wānaka, Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Balclutha |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Brewster |
| • location | Southern Alps |
| • elevation | 1,540 metres (5,050 ft) |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
• coordinates | 46°21′S 169°48′E |
• elevation | Sea level |
| Length | 338 km (210 mi) |
| Basin size | 21,000 km2 (8,100 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 614 m3/s (21,700 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Makarora River → Lake Wānaka → Clutha River → Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Hāwea River, Lindis River, Manuherikia River, Beaumont River, Tuapeka River |
| • right | Cardrona River, Kawarau River, Pomahaka River, Waiwera River |
| Waterbodies | Lake Wānaka, Lake Dunstan, Lake Roxburgh |
| Islands | Inch Clutha |