Mohaka River

Mohaka River
Mohaka River viewed from the State Highway 5 bridge
The Mohaka River (dark blue) and its major tributaries
Native nameMohaka (Māori)
Location
CountryNew Zealand
RegionHawkes Bay
Physical characteristics
SourceKaimanawa Range
MouthHawke Bay
 • location
Mohaka
 • coordinates
39°07′30″S 177°11′38″E / 39.125°S 177.194°E / -39.125; 177.194
 • elevation
Sea level
Length172 kilometres (107 mi)
Discharge 
 • average81 m3/s (2,900 cu ft/s)[1]
Basin features
BridgesMohaka Viaduct

The Mohaka river is on the North Island of New Zealand in the east central region of Hawke’s Bay. Mohaka is a Maori word, roughly translated it means “place for dancing”. The iwi (Māori tribes) associated with the Mohaka River are Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Hineuru, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Mana Ahuriri. The headwaters are found in the Kaweka and Kaimanawa ranges.[2] From the range it winds southeast before twisting northeast and finally southeast again to empty into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Mohaka. There are many gorges on the Mohaka; some as steep as 200m (656 feet).[3] Its main tributaries are the Waipunga, Taharua, Hautapu rivers. The full length is 172 kilometres (107 mi) and it drains a basin of 2,357 square kilometres (910 sq mi).[4] The Mohaka Viaduct is a railway bridge over the lower Mohaka river. The Napier–Taupo road (State Highway 5) has had several bridges over the upper Mohaka, with the current one built in 1962.[5]

  1. ^ NIWA Water & soil miscellaneous publication no. 48 (1983)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference map 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference map2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Mohaka River. (2010). In New Encyclepedia Britannica, Vol. 8, Ed.15". (p. 223). US: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.
  5. ^ "Mohaka Bridge Construction 1962". Knowledge Bank. Hawke's Bay Digital Archives Trust. Retrieved 7 October 2024.