Tauweru River
Encyclopedia
The Tauweru River, sometimes called the Taueru River, is a river in the Wairarapa
region of New Zealand
's North Island
. It drains from the pastoral eastern highlands of the Wairarapa and joins the Ruamahanga River
just north of the Gladstone Road bridge into Gladstone
, southeast of Carterton
. The river's name is Māori
for "hanging in clusters" and named after it is the town of Tauweru
, located along the middle reaches of the river east of Masterton
.
The river itself is slow and sluggish, flowing in a willow-lined, restricted and gravel-less channel. A group of local farmers, the Mid-Tauweru Landcare Group, was established in 2000 to facilitate sound management of the river's riparian zone
by replacing willows with native plants to enhance the river's flow and biodiversity. Its catchment
east of Masterton is extensive and fishing
conditions in the lower three kilometres of the river are considered to be excellent, especially in summer.
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
region of 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...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It drains from the pastoral eastern highlands of the Wairarapa and joins the Ruamahanga River
Ruamahanga River
The Ruamahanga River runs through the southeastern North Island of New Zealand.The river's headwaters are in the Tararua Ranges northwest of Masterton. From there it runs firstly south and then southwest for 130 kilometers before emptying into the Cook Strait. The towns of Masterton and...
just north of the Gladstone Road bridge into Gladstone
Gladstone, New Zealand
Gladstone is a lightly populated locality in the Carterton District of New Zealand's North Island, located on the Mangahuia Stream near where the Tauweru River joins the Ruamahanga River. The nearest town is Carterton 15 kilometres to the northwest, and nearby settlements include Ponatahi to the...
, southeast of Carterton
Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
. The river's name is Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
for "hanging in clusters" and named after it is the town of Tauweru
Tauweru
Tauweru, alternatively Taueru, is a locality in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after and located on the middle reaches of the Tauweru River, which drains into the Ruamahanga River near Gladstone and Te Whiti, and the name means "hanging in clusters" in the Māori...
, located along the middle reaches of the river east of Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
.
The river itself is slow and sluggish, flowing in a willow-lined, restricted and gravel-less channel. A group of local farmers, the Mid-Tauweru Landcare Group, was established in 2000 to facilitate sound management of the river's riparian zone
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
by replacing willows with native plants to enhance the river's flow and biodiversity. Its catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
east of Masterton is extensive and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
conditions in the lower three kilometres of the river are considered to be excellent, especially in summer.