Douglas River

Douglas River
Twain River
Map
Route of the Douglas River
Douglas River is located in South Island
Douglas River
Mouth of the Douglas River
Douglas River is located in New Zealand
Douglas River
Douglas River (New Zealand)
EtymologyNamed after Charlie Douglas, an explorer of the region
Location
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWest Coast
DistrictWestland
Physical characteristics
SourceDouglas Glacier
 • locationSouthern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana
 • coordinates43°41′47″S 169°56′16″E / 43.6965°S 169.9377°E / -43.6965; 169.9377
 • elevation975 m (3,199 ft)
MouthKarangarua River
 • location
Cassel Flat
 • coordinates
43°40′03″S 169°49′48″E / 43.6675°S 169.8301°E / -43.6675; 169.8301
 • elevation
178 m (584 ft)
Length18 kilometres (11 mi)
Basin features
ProgressionDouglas GlacierDouglas RiverKarangarua RiverTasman Sea
River systemKarangarua River

The Douglas River, formerly known as the Twain,[1] is a river of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Its source is high in the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, five kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Mount Sefton, and its upper reaches are fed by water from the Douglas Glacier. It flows west for 18 kilometres (11 mi), joined by runoff from the Horace Walker Glacier, before joining the waters of the Karangarua River. The Douglas River's entire course is within Westland Tai Poutini National Park.[2] The river and glacier are named after Charles Edward Douglas, a 19th-century explorer and mountaineer.[3]

The New Zealand Department of Conservation maintains a backcountry hut at the junction of the Douglas and Horace Walker rivers.[4]

  1. ^ Douglas, Charlie; Pascoe, John Dobrée (January 2000). Mr Explorer Douglas: John Pascoe's New Zealand Classic. Canterbury University Press. ISBN 9780908812950. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. ^ Peter Dowling (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. Map 76. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
  3. ^ Discover New Zealand:A Wises Guide (9th ed.). 1994. p. 293.
  4. ^ "Horace Walker Hut". New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved 14 August 2009.