Makatote River
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| Makatote River | |
|---|---|
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| Native name | Makatote (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| District | Ruapehu |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Ruapehu |
| • coordinates | 39°16′14″S 175°32′18″E / 39.27056°S 175.53833°E |
| • elevation | 2,050 metres (6,730 ft) |
| Mouth | Manganui o te Ao River |
• coordinates | 39°16′23″S 175°21′4″E / 39.27306°S 175.35111°E |
• elevation | 595 metres (1,952 ft) |
| Length | 30 kilometres (19 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Makatote River → Manganui o te Ao River → Whanganui River |
| River system | Whanganui River |
| Bridges | Makatote Viaduct |
The Makatote River is a river of the centre of New Zealand's North Island.[1] It flows west from the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, and from the Hauhungatahi Wilderness Area,[2] before entering rough hill country, veering southwest and entering a gorge cut almost 100 m (330 ft) into the volcanic rocks.[2] It joins with the waters of several smaller streams to become the Manganui o te Ao River, part of the Whanganui River system.[3]
The river is part of a water conservation order catchment to protect indigenous fish including lamprey, longfinned eel, short-finned eel, common smelt, banded kōkopu, short-jawed kokopu, koaro, torrentfish, redfinned bully, common bully, and Cran's bully.[2] Trees in the gorge include rimu, matai and maire.[4] The main trees logged were rimu, mataī, kahikatea, tōtara and miro.[5] The lowest 3 km (1.9 mi) of the river is monitored for its whio population.[6] A proposal to create a track to Te Kohatu waterfall was rejected as being inappropriate for a wilderness area.[7]
The river is spanned by the third largest railway viaduct in the country,[8] which is 79 m (259 ft) high.[9] SH4 (originally built by the railway for access to its construction sites)[4] crosses on a much lower bridge near the viaduct.[10]
Just to the north of the viaduct, the Makatote Tramway has a Category 2 listing by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, with remnants of rails, skid sites, a log hauler, water pits and bogie wheels. In the 1930s Western Red Cedar and Lawson's Cypress were planted near the tramway by the State Forests Service as part of a wider experimental high-altitude planting programme.[5] Japanese Cedar, Douglas Fir, Ponderous Pine, Weymouth Pine and Sugar Pine were also considered for the experiment.[11]