Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu
The Dart River (officially Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu from Māori: Te Awa Whakatipu) flows through rugged forested country in the southwestern South Island of New Zealand. Partly in Mount Aspiring National Park, it flows south-west and then south for 60 kilometres (37 mi) from its headwaters in the Southern Alps and the Dart Glacier, eventually flowing into the northern end of Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy.
| Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu Dart River, Te Awa Whakatipu | |
|---|---|
The Dart River near Glenorchy | |
| Native name | Te Awa Whakatipu (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Otago | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Southern Alps |
| • elevation | 1,025 m (3,363 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Wakatipu |
• coordinates | 44°50′27″S 168°21′28″E |
• elevation | 330 m (1,080 ft) |
| Length | 60 km (37 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Whitbourn River, Blue Duck River, Routeburn River |
There are many popular tramping tracks in the region. The Rees-Dart Track is a five-day loop which combines the valley of Te Awa Whakatipu with the nearby Rees River. Jetboats operate on the river.
The Dart River, as many other areas in and around the Glenorchy and Queenstown area, was the location for many scenes filmed for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Examples are Isengard, filmed at Dan's Paddock, and Lothlórien in the forests slightly further north. The only road bridge across the river, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Glenorchy and en route to the start of the Routeburn Track, was used as the eponymous bridge in the 2020 television drama series One Lane Bridge.
The upper valley was the site of one of New Zealand's worst light aircraft accidents in 1989, when an Aspiring Air Britten-Norman Islander crashed, killing all ten people on board.