The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in 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 South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

. It flows for 170 kilometres from the Spenser Mountains

Spenser Mountains

The Spenser Mountains is a topographic landform in northern South Island, New Zealand. Within the range prominent peaks include Mount Una and Mount Humboldt. Much of the forest cover is beech/podocarp with understory of a variety of ferns and shrubs; Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor is one of the...

 (a northern range of the Southern Alps

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

), firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley in inland Marlborough

Marlborough, New Zealand

Marlborough is one of the regions of New Zealand, located in the northeast of the South Island. Marlborough is a unitary authority, both a region and a district, and its council is located at Blenheim. Marlborough is known for its dry climate, the picturesque Marlborough Sounds, and sauvignon blanc...

.

The river's lower reaches are noted for the surrounding fertile plain, now one of New Zealand's finest wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 producing regions. The river has its outflow into Cook Strait

Cook Strait

Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....

 at Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay is located at the northeast of New Zealand's South Island, to the south of the Marlborough Sounds. The area lends its name to one of the best known New World white wines although the grapes used in production of that wine are grown in the Marlborough wine region further inland.The bay...

, just north of Blenheim

Blenheim, New Zealand

Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...

 in the island's northeast. The Wairau River meets the sea at the Wairau Bar

Wairau Bar

The Wairau Bar, or Te Pokohiwi, is a 19 ha gravel bar formed where the Wairau River meets the sea in Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, north-eastern South Island, New Zealand. It is an important archaeological site, apparently settled within one or two generations of the arrival of Polynesians in New...

, an important archaeological

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 site.

In pre-European and early colonial New Zealand, one of the South Island's largest Māori settlements was close to the mouth of the Wairau.

The Wairau Valley

Wairau Valley

Wairau Valley is the valley of the Wairau River in Marlborough, New Zealand and also the name of the main settlement in the upper valley. State Highway 63 runs through the valley. The valley opens onto the Wairau Plain, where Renwick and Blenheim are sited...

 was the scene of the 1843 Wairau Affray

Wairau Affray

In New Zealand history, the Wairau Affray on 17 June 1843 was the first serious clash of arms between Māori and the British settlers after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the only one to take place in the South Island...

, the first violent clash between Maori residents and English settlers over land in New Zealand.

Hydroelectricity

There are currently two hydroelectric power stations operating on tributaries of the river.

The Wairau Hydro Scheme

Wairau Hydro Scheme

The Wairau Hydro Scheme is a canal based hydroelectric project being developed by TrustPower on the Wairau River in Marlborough, New Zealand. The $280 million project will divert up to 60% of the river through 49 km of canals to generate up to 70 MW of electricity.- Resource consents :Resource...

 proposed by TrustPower

TrustPower

TrustPower Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and electricity retailing company, listed on the New Zealand stock exchange.TrustPower is New Zealand's fifth largest electricity generator and the fourth largest electricity retailer , serving 260,000 customers throughout New Zealand...

 will operate on a 48 kilometre long canal. Up to 60% of the flow of the river will be diverted into the canal. A resource consent

Resource consent

A resource consent is the authorisation given to certain activities or uses of natural and physical resources required under the New Zealand Resource Management Act . Some activities may either be specifically authorised by the RMA or be permitted activities authorised by rules in plans...

 has been granted for the scheme but opponents have already appealed to the Environment Court

Environment Court of New Zealand

The Environment Court of New Zealand is a specialist court for planning permits and environmental issues...

.

External links

• TrustPower - Wairau Valley hydroelectric power scheme