The Clutha River system

The Clutha River is the second longest river in New Zealand and flows south-southeast for 340 kilometres through Central and South Otago to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres south west of Dunedin. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1234x1395, 233 KB)Location map of the Clutha River, New Zealand File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1234x1395, 233 KB)Location map of the Clutha River, New Zealand File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... The area known as Central Otago in Otago, New Zealand, includes the middle of the region but generally also most of the north-western portion (the Queenstown-Lakes District). ... South Otago (pop. ... Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, located in coastal Otago. ...

Geography

The ultimate source of the river is at the end of the Makarora River, close to the saddle of the Haast Pass, which flows into the northern end of Lake Wanaka. The southern end of the lake drains into the nascent Clutha close to Albert Town, where it is met by its first main tributary, the Cardrona River. It is also met here by the Hawea River the outflow of Lake Wanaka's twin, Lake Hawea. Shortly thereafter the river widens into Lake Dunstan, an artificial lake created behind the massive hydroelectric dam at Clyde. At this point it is joined by another tributary, the Lindis. The Makarora River is in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. ... Gates of Haast The Haast Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. ... View of the southern end of Lake Wanaka, looking southeast. ... Albert Town is located to the east of Wanaka in New Zealand. ... The Cardrona River is found in Otago in the New Zealand. ... Lake Hawea is located in the Otago region of New Zealand, at an altitude of 320 metres. ... Lake Dunstan is located in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Hydraulic turbine and electrical generator. ... Clyde is a small town in Central Otago, New Zealand. ... The Lindis River is found in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. ...

Fifty kilometres south of Lake Wanaka, the Clutha reaches the town of Cromwell, which was substantially altered when the Clyde Dam project was completed in the late 1980s. Here the river is joined by the waters of the Kawarau. Prior to the construction of the Clyde Dam, this junction was renowned for the difference in colour between the two rivers’ waters. Cromwell is a town in Central Otago in the Otago region of New Zealand. ... The Clyde Dam The Clyde Dam is New Zealands largest hydroelectric dam and was built along the Clutha River, near the town of Clyde. ... New Zealands major tidal lake, Lake Wakatipu, in northwestern Otago, drains to the Kawarau River, which flows generally eastwards for about 60 km until it reaches Lake Dunstan near Cromwell. ...

The river then flows southeast through the scenic Cromwell Gorge to Clyde and nearby Alexandra, where it is joined by the waters of the Manuherikia River. South of Alexandra the river widens again to form Lake Roxburgh, another man-made lake, this time behind the Roxburgh Dam, which was constructed in the late 1950s. The town of Roxburgh sits close to the river, 120 kilometres downstream from Lake Wanaka. The Cromwell Gorge is a deep gorge on the Clutha River in Otago, New Zealand. ... Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago district of New Zealands South Island. ... The Manuherikia River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Lake Roxburgh is an artificial lake, created by the Roxburgh Dam, the earliest of the large hyroelectric projects in the southern South Island of New Zealand. ... Roxburgh is a small New Zealand town on the banks of the Clutha River, 40 km south of Alexandra in the South Island. ...

From here the river continues southeast past the towns of Ettrick, Millers Flat, and Beaumont, before it is met by the Tuapeka River at Tuapeka Mouth. At this point the river turns southward, before being met by its last major tributary, the Pomahaka River, which joins the Clutha 30 kilometres from the coast. The river passes the town of Balclutha before widening into the Clutha delta which contains the large flat island of Inch Clutha. Ettrick is a small town in inland Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Millers Flat is a small town (population about 200) in inland Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Beaumont is a small town in inland Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Tuapeka River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Pomahaka River is located in South Otago in New Zealands South Island. ... Looking across the Clutha towards the town centre. ... Inch Clutha is a large, flat island sitting in the delta of the Clutha River in the South Island of New Zealand, downstream from the town of Balclutha. ...

The Clutha's average discharge estimated at 570 m³/s, comparable to many much larger rivers. This heavy flow, combined with the relatively small size of the river in global terms, makes the Clutha notoriously fast-flowing, and it is often listed as one of the world's most swiftly flowing rivers, alongside Australia's Macleay and Fitzroy Rivers, the Amazon and Atrato Rivers in South America, and the Teesta River in the Himalayas. The Macleay River is a major river in the North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. ... KILLARA HIGH R0X0R! ... A satellite image of the mouth of the Amazon River, looking south The Amazon River (occasionally River Amazon; Spanish: Río Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is one of the two longest rivers on Earth, the other being the Nile in Africa. ... The Río Atrato is a river of northwestern Colombia. ... The Teesta River is one of the most scenic rivers in Eastern India. ...

Beyond the river's mouth

Such is the nature of the geology of the New Zealand region that the true river tells only half the story of the Clutha's course. Beyond its mouth, a submarine canyon system extends for over 100 kilometres into the South Pacific Ocean, eventually becoming the Bounty Trough. The canyon system bears a remarkable resemblance to the pattern of river and tributaries visible on land, so much so that many of the rivers which empty into the sea along the Otago coast can virtually be considered tributaries of the Clutha's submarine system. These rivers include the Tokomairiro, Taieri, Waikouaiti, Shag, and even the Waitaki. The Tokomairiro River is located in Otago, New Zealand. ... The Taieri River is the fourth longest river in New Zealand, and is located in Otago in the countrys South Island. ... State Highway 1 crosses the Waikouaiti River between Waikouaiti and Karitane The Waikouaiti River is found to the north of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand. ... The Shag River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Waitaki River is a large river in the South Island of New Zealand, some 110 km long. ...

History

The Clutha takes its name from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde in Scotland which runs through Glasgow. During its early history it was known as the Molyneux, that name given to it by Captain Cook. Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... The River Clyde, looking eastwards upstream, as it passes beneath the Kingston Bridge in Central Glasgow. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ...

The river featured greatly in the Central Otago goldrush. The first major gold deposits in Otago were discovered around the Tuapeka River at Gabriel's Gully in 1861, and the following year large amounts of the precious metal were discovered close to the site of modern Cromwell. The Central Otago Goldrush (often simply called the Otago goldrush) occurred during the 1860s in Otago, New Zealand. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... Gabriels Gully is a locality in Otago, New Zealand, three kilometres from Lawrence township and close to the Tuapeka River. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Several major floods have occurred on the Clutha, most notably the “Hundred year floods” of mid-October 1878 and mid-October 1978. Look up Flood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

Water usage

There are several hydroelectric power stations located on the river providing clean environmentally friendly power to the New Zealand power grid. Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Transmission towers Transmission lines in Lund, Sweden Electric power transmission, or more accurately Electrical energy transmission, is the second process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. ...

The Clutha also provides irrigation for stone fruit orchards around Cromwell, Alexandra, and Roxburgh, which provide apples, apricots, nectarines, cherries, and peaches. Several small vineyards are also found in the upper reaches of the river. The peach is a typical drupe (stone fruit) In botany, a drupe is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp or skin and mesocarp or flesh) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. ... Binomial name Malus domestica Borkh. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca, syn. ... Nectarine can mean: A kind of peach, see Peach A demoscene radio, see Nectarine (radio). ... Species Several, including: Prunus apetala Prunus avium(Wild Cherry) Prunus campanulata Prunus canescens Prunus cerasus(Sour Cherry) Prunus concinna Prunus conradinae Prunus dielsiana Prunus emarginata(Bitter Cherry) Prunus fruticosa Prunus incisa Prunus litigiosa Prunus mahaleb(Saint Lucie Cherry) Prunus maximowiczii Prunus nipponica Prunus pensylvanica(Pin Cherry) Prunus pilosiuscula Prunus rufa... Binomial name Prunus persica (L.) Batsch A peach dessert The Peach (Prunus persica) is a tree native to China that bears a juicy fruit of the same name. ... wine grapes Viticulture (from the Latin word for vine) refers to the cultivation of grapes, often for use in the production of wine. ...

The spectacular scenery of Central Otago makes the upper Clutha a popular holiday destination, especially for adventure tourism. Jet boating, waterskiing, bungy jumping and parapenting facilities are all to be found close to the river, and Lake Dunstan is also an important rowing venue. Several major ski courses are found close to the river. Curling is also played close to the Clutha in the harsh Central Otago winters. Adventure tourism is a type of niche tourism involving exploration or travel to remote areas, where the traveller should expect the unexpected. ... A rider on a Yamaha Waverunner XL performing a high-speed turn A jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. ... Recreational skiiers typically use two skis — other techniques abound. ... Bungee Jump in Normandy, France Bungee jumping is an activity in which a person jumps off from a high place (generally of several hundred feet/meters) with one end of an elastic cord attached to his/her body or ankles and the other end tied to the jumping-off point. ... Paragliding (known in some countries as parapenting) is a recreational and competitive sport that is best described as a hybrid of hang gliding and parachuting. ... Rowing in the Amstel River by a student rowing club. ... Members of the US Air Force skiing (and snowboarding) at Keystone Resorts 14th Annual SnoFest An alpine skier Deep powder skiing Skiing is the activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings. ... Curling is a precision team sport similar to bowls or bocce, played on a rectangular sheet of prepared ice by two teams of four players each, using heavy polished granite stones which they slide down the ice towards a target area called the house. ...

See also

List of rivers of New Zealand This is a list of all waterways named as rivers in New Zealand. ...

External links

• http://www.cromwell.org.nz/
• http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/ser1997/html/chapter7.6.html