Kawarau River drains Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of Otago Region, near its boundary with Southland.With a length of , it is New Zealand's longest lake, and, at , its third largest...

, in northwestern Otago

Otago

Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The river flows generally eastwards for about 60 km and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge

Kawarau Gorge

The Kawarau Gorge is a major river gorge, located in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The Kawarau River flows through the gorge, which is located between the towns of Queenstown and Cromwell, and part of the route of State Highway 6 also follows the gorge.The gorge begins some 30...

 until it joins Lake Dunstan

Lake Dunstan

Lake Dunstan is a man-made lake and reservoir in the South Island of New Zealand.The lake was formed on the Clutha River as a result of the construction of the Clyde Dam, filling in four controlled stages beginning in April 1992 and completed the next year...

 near Cromwell

Cromwell, New Zealand

Cromwell is a town in Central Otago in the Otago region of New Zealand.It is situated between State Highway 6 and State Highway 8 leading to the Lindis Pass, 75 km northeast, and Alexandra, 33 km south. The road to Alexandra winds through the Cromwell Gorge...

. The Shotover River

Shotover River

The Shotover River is located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. The name correctly suggests that this 60 kilometre-long river is fast flowing, with numerous rapids...

 enters it from the north; the Nevis River

Nevis River

The Nevis River is located in Otago, New Zealand. It flows north for 40 kilometres through rough country before meeting the Kawarau River, of which it is a tributary. A prominent rock outcrop close to this junction is known as the Nevis Bluff....

 enters it from the south. Containing many rapids and strong currents, the river can be dangerous and has claimed many lives.

The Roaring Meg Hydro Scheme discharges into the Kawarau, and at times the lower station has been flooded by the river. A few hundred meters west of the station is a natural bridge where the river narrows to 1.2m wide, which was used as a crossing place by early goldminers. The goldminers were crossing from the Dunedin side on the current Mt Difficulty Station to the northern side on Waitiri Station to get access to the Arrow Goldfields.

In the 19th century, gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 was extracted from the river. Some of the miners' huts remain today, many of them close to thriving vineyard

Vineyard

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...

s. In 1924 a company was formed to drain the river by blocking off Lake Wakatipu, with the intent of then collecting gold from the river bed. Ten massive gates were completed in 1927 and although the river level dropped it was not laid bare as planned. The gates now form part of State Highway 6. The Goldfields Mining Centre located in the gorge operates demonstration centre with a working exhibition of gold mining techniques.

Tourist adventure activities on the river include riverboarding

Riverboarding

Riverboarding is a boardsport in which the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and as riverboarding or white-water sledging in New Zealand, depending on the type of board used...

, jet boating, white water rafting, river surfing, and bungy jumping. The Kawarau Bridge, 43m above the river, and a Category I historic place, is the site of the world's first commercial bungy jumping operation. Eastburn Station gave up the 300 acres (1.2 km²) plus that forms the natural backdrop as a reserve. The river is also the largest volume commercially rafted in New Zealand, having an average flow of 216 m³/s

Cubic metres per second

A cubic metre per second is a derived SI unit of flow rate equal to that of a stere or cube with sides of one metre in length exchanged or moving each second...

 at Chards Road measuring station. The four significant commercially used rapids on the river are Smiths Falls, Twin Bridges, Do Little Do Nothing and the 400m Chinese Dog Leg. Below these are the dangerous Nevis Bluff, Citroen and Roaring Meg sections. Because of the danger Waitiri Station usually declines access.

The river was also featured as a setting for the Argonath in the 2001 motion picture, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

On 25 September 2008, a Chinese tourist died in a jet boat accident at the confluence with the Shotover. The Kawarau Jet boat flipped after hitting a sandbar, leaving one passenger trapped underneath, and putting the remaining 21 and driver into the river.

The name should be pronounced to rhyme with "now" but is often pronounced by locals as if it were "K'worra". It should not be confused with the Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty

The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...

 town "Kawerau".

Water Conservation Order

A Water Conservation Order

Water Conservation Order

A water conservation order is a legal ruling to protect aspects of water bodies. It may be to protect the quantity of the water itself or for any issues relating to the water body as a whole.-New Zealand:...

 protects the river for its wild and scenic character, natural characteristics, scientific values and for recreational use. No damming of the river is allowed and the water must be maintained to a specific standard. The Water conservation Order covers the stretch of river from the Lake Wakatipu control gates to Scrubby Stream. Fish and Game

Fish and Game New Zealand

Fish and Game New Zealand is a statutory body set up to advocate for recreational hunting and fishing in New Zealand.It was set up under the Conservation Act 1987 with the statutory responsibility for the sports of freshwater sport fishing and gamebird hunting...

 is seeking an amendment to the Water Conservation Order to prevent any damming of the Nevis River

Nevis River

The Nevis River is located in Otago, New Zealand. It flows north for 40 kilometres through rough country before meeting the Kawarau River, of which it is a tributary. A prominent rock outcrop close to this junction is known as the Nevis Bluff....

and to seek conditions on changes to the minimum flows.