| Kaiwharawhara Stream | |
|---|---|
 The Kaiwharawhara Stream flowing through Otari-Wilton's Bush | |
 | |
| Etymology | Maori meaning "food of the fruit of the Astelia" |
| Native name | Kaiwharawhara (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Wellington |
| City | Wellington |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Zealandia (wildlife sanctuary) |
| • elevation | 260 m (850 ft) |
| Mouth | Wellington Harbour |
• coordinates | 41°15′42″S 174°47′28″E / 41.261775°S 174.791037°E |
• elevation | Sea level |
| Length | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Basin size | 19 km2 (7.3 sq mi) |
The Kaiwharawhara Stream is a stream in the North Island of New Zealand – it flows through the northwestern part of New Zealand's capital, Wellington. Its headwaters lie within the suburb of Karori, and it passes through other suburbs and Otari-Wilton's Bush before reaching the western shore of Wellington Harbour in Kaiwharawhara near the terminal of the Interislander ferry. Part of its length runs roughly alongside the Johnsonville Branch railway, a branch line that once formed part of the North Island Main Trunk Railway – the latter now passes over the stream near its mouth.
Its main tributary is the Korimako Stream (which flows from Khandallah and Ngaio), though it is also fed by other tributaries, and its catchment covers roughly 19 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi). Much of this area consists of parkland and other reserves, though the water suffers from pollution in the form of stormwater and runoff associated with urban land-use.[1]
The Kaiwharawhara name is from kai, the Māori word for food, and wharawhara, the edible fruit of Astelia Banksii.[2] It is piped along six sections, the main length being 846 m (2,776 ft), under the former landfill at Ian Galloway Park, from Zealandia (wildlife sanctuary) to Otari-Wilton's Bush.[3] Near its mouth at Kaiwharawhara, a 107 m (351 ft) tunnel was built as an air-raid shelter in 1944 and the stream was diverted through it after the war, to improve flood protection and allow for additional oil storage tanks.[4]
- ^ Greater Wellington Regional Council – Kaiwharawhara Catchment Archived 2006-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Place name detail: 2365". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "FRESHWATER HISTORIC HERITAGE OF THE WELLINGTON REGION Diversion Tunnel Kaiwharawhara Stream 1944" (PDF). 30 June 2012.