Clutha River
| Clutha River Mata-Au, Molyneux | |
|---|---|
Upper Clutha Valley, looking upriver toward the Southern Alps | |
Clutha River basin (Interactive map) | |
| Etymology | Mata-au: current in the water. Clutha: from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde |
| Native name | Mata-Au (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Otago |
| Settlements | Wānaka, Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Balclutha |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Brewster |
| • location | Southern Alps |
| • elevation | 1,540 metres (5,050 ft) |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
• coordinates | 46°21′S 169°48′E / 46.350°S 169.800°E |
• elevation | Sea level |
| Length | 338 km (210 mi) |
| Basin size | c. 21,000 km2 (8,100 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 614 m3/s (21,700 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Makarora River → Lake Wānaka → Clutha River → Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Hāwea River, Lindis River, Manuherikia River, Beaumont River, Tuapeka River |
| • right | Cardrona River, Kawarau River, Pomahaka River, Waiwera River |
| Waterbodies | Lake Wānaka, Lake Dunstan, Lake Roxburgh |
| Islands | Inch Clutha |
The Clutha River (Māori: Mata-Au, officially gazetted as Clutha River / Mata-Au) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast 338 kilometres (210 mi) through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres (47 mi) south west of Dunedin. Gold is in abundance in the Clutha River and its surrounding areas. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and has a discharging mean flow of 614 cubic metres per second (21,700 cu ft/s).
The Clutha River played a prominent role in both the Māori and European history of the area. Rivers and valleys were the main transport system used by local Māori to access the interior of the South Island. The 1860s Otago gold rush resulted in the production of approximately 240 tonnes of gold, which was found in the Clutha catchment. It has the biggest catchment and outflow in New Zealand. About 6% of all water in the South Island is discharged by the Clutha River alone. It has a mean discharge of approximately 500 m3 (18,000 cu ft) and a catchment area of around 22,000 km2 (8,500 sq mi) and is an economically significant river for the country. The Clutha River encompasses two hydropower stations, which provide 14% of the country's hydropower generation capacity.
The Clutha River drains the high mountains of the Southern Alps in the west and passes through a complex topographic system of basins and ranges towards the east before reaching into the Pacific Ocean. A majority of the topographical features of the Clutha River catchment area are a direct result of the late Cenozoic and active tectonic processes that are occurring in southern South Island due to deformation along the nearby plate boundary, defined by the Alpine Fault.
The river is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. A river conservation group, the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group, is working to establish a regional river parkway, with a trail, along the entire river corridor.