Ongarue River

Ongarue River
The Ongarue River near the mouth at Taumarunui
Etymology	Māori meaning "place of shaking"
Native name	Ōngarue (Māori)
Location
Country	New Zealand
Region	Manawatū-Whanganui
Towns	Taumarunui
Settlements	Ongarue, Waimiha
Physical characteristics
Source	Hauhungaroa Range
• location	Pureora
• coordinates	38°33′14″S 175°37′48″E / 38.55389°S 175.63000°E / -38.55389; 175.63000
• elevation	1,100 m (3,600 ft)
Mouth	Whanganui River
• location	Taumarunui
• coordinates	38°53′31″S 175°15′11″E / 38.89194°S 175.25306°E / -38.89194; 175.25306
• elevation	144 m (472 ft)
Length	73 km (45 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Ongarue River → Whanganui River
River system	Whanganui River
Tributaries
• left	Maramataha River, Taringamotu River
Waterfalls	Wilton Falls, Kawauariki Falls

The Ongarue River is a river of the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.^[1] A major tributary of the Whanganui River, it flows west then south from its sources on Pureora and north of the Hauhungaroa Range, northwest of Lake Taupō, before reaching the Whanganui River at the town of Taumarunui. The valley is followed by State Highway 4, from near Ongarue,^[2] and by the North Island Main Trunk railway for about 30 km (19 mi),^[3] from near Waimiha.^[2]

Tributaries of the Ongarue include the Maramataha and Taringamotu Rivers^[2] and the Mangakahu Stream.^[4]

The maximum flow in the river is about 570 cubic metres per second (1,200,000 cu ft/min).^[3]

Kayaks can navigate up to Waimiha, except in a narrow gorge near Paraketu and shallow rapids below Taringamotu.^[5]