| Whau River | |
|---|---|
 The Whau River and Rata Street Bridge | |
 Route of the Whau River | |
  Mouth of the Whau River .png)  Whau River (New Zealand) | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Auckland Region |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Maungakiekie Golf Club, Mount Roskill |
| • coordinates | 36°55′21″S 174°43′42″E / 36.9225°S 174.72822°E |
| Mouth | Waitematā Harbour |
• coordinates | 36°51′35″S 174°39′30″E / 36.85959°S 174.6582°E |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Whau River → Waitematā Harbour → Hauraki Gulf → Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Avondale Stream, Rewarewa Creek, Taroa Stream, Wairau Creek, Glendene Stream |
The Whau River (Māori pronunciation: [ɸau]) is an estuarial arm of the southwestern Waitemata Harbour (rather than a river) within the Auckland metropolitan area in New Zealand. It flows north for 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) from its origin at the confluence of the Avondale Stream and Whau Stream[1] to its mouth between the Te Atatū Peninsula and the long, thin Rosebank Peninsula in Avondale. It is 800 metres (2,600 ft) at its widest and 400 metres (1,300 ft) wide at its mouth.[1]
The estuary extends past the suburbs of Glendene and Kelston. It has one small estuarial tributary arm, the Wairau Creek in the southwest. The tide flows up the Wairau Creek as far as Sabulite Road in Kelston, and up the Rewarewa Creek to Clark Street and Wolverton Road in New Lynn.[1] The area at the mouth of the estuary is legally protected as the Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve.
The Whau River is named after a native tree, the whau (Entelea arborescens).[1]
- ^ a b c d Mackay, Jo (2001). The Whau: Our Streams, Our River, Our Backyards (PDF). Waitakere City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2004. Retrieved 21 March 2009.