Bowyers Stream
Stream in the Canterbury Region, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bowyers Stream is located in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand.[2][note 1]
| Bowyers Stream | |
|---|---|
| |
 Route of Bowyers Stream | |
.png)  Bowyers Stream  Bowyers Stream (South Island) | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Mount Somers / Te Kiekie |
| • coordinates | 43°37′05″S 171°22′33″E |
| • elevation | 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Ashburton River South Branch / Hakatere |
• coordinates | 43°44′19″S 171°32′12″E |
• elevation | 245 metres (804 ft) |
| Basin size | 23.2 km2 (9.0 mi2)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Bowyers Stream → Ashburton River South Branch / Hakatere → Ashburton River / Hakatere → Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Taylors Stream |
| • right | Caves Stream, Stevenson Stream |
| Waterfalls | Sharplin Falls |
The upper reaches of the stream drain the northern face of Mount Somers / Te Kiekie and the southern face of Mount Winterslow in the foothills of the Southern Alps.[4] Sharplin Falls is located in Bowyers Stream in a deep gully beneath the fault scarp between Mount Somers / Te Kiekie and Mount Winterslow, near the small settlement of Staveley.[5] The stream joins the south branch of the Ashburton River / Hakatere, at Annandale, west of Ashburton Forks.[4]
The stream has been a contributor to severe flooding in the Staveley region.[6]
Introduced trout were reported as being plentiful in Bowyers Stream in 1899.[7] In 1930, around 10,000 brown trout fry were released into the stream by the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society,[8] with a further 50,000 trout fry released in 1933,[9] and 60,000 more in 1942.[10] Bowyers Stream has become an important tributary of the Ashburton River for trout and salmon spawning. In 2017, Environment Canterbury undertook flood-control works along a stretch of 11 km (6.8 mi) in the bed of the river. The Central South Island Fish and Game Council commenced a prosecution of Environment Canterbury under the Conservation Act for disturbance to the spawning grounds of freshwater fish. The parties reached agreement in 2019 and the prosecution did not continue.[11] In September 2019, there were concerns from landowners about the build-up of gravel in the stream bed, with calls for the stream bed to be lowered to reduce flooding risk.[12]
The Rangitata Diversion Race passes beneath the bed of Bowyers Stream in a siphon, around 1.5 km (0.93 mi) south of Staveley.[13]
The Bowyers Stream Reserve is a freedom camping site located where the Inland Scenic Route crosses Bowyers Stream around 3.4 km (2.1 mi) south of Staveley.[14]
