Rakaia River

Rakaia River
River, eastern central South Island, New Zealand.

Rising in the glaciers of the Southern Alps, it flows east and southeast for 90 mi (145 km) before entering Canterbury Bight of the Pacific Ocean through a delta west of Banks Peninsula.

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      river in east-central South Island, New Zealand. It rises in the Lyell and Ramsay glaciers of the Southern Alps near Whitcombe Pass. The river flows east and southeast for 90 miles (145 km) before entering Canterbury Bight of the Pacific Ocean through a delta just west of Banks Peninsula. Fed by its principal tributaries, the Mathias and Wilberforce, the river drains a basin 1,000 square miles (2,600 square km) in area. Its lower course crosses the Canterbury Plains, where the river flows in braided channels too shallow for navigation. The name Rakaia (Maori for “to arrange in ranks”) may refer to an ancient method employed in fording the stream.

      At the sawmilling town of Rakaia, 13 miles (21 km) upstream, the chief South Island rail and road lines cross the Rakaia River on mile-long bridges. Deposits of fine, windblown loess on the lowlands along the lower course yield grain crops, and salmon are taken from the stream. There are hydroelectric stations at Lake Coleridge, and a canal at Highbank brings water from the Rangitata River for hydroelectric generation and irrigation.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Rakaia River — Flusssystem des Rakaia River Rakaia River vom Mount Hutt aus gesehen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Rakaia — Rakaia …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rakaia Gorge — The Rakaia Gorge is located on the Rakaia River in inland Canterbury in New Zealand s South Island.Like its neighbour, the Waimakariri River, the Rakaia runs through wide shingle beds for much of its length, but is forced through a narrow canyon… …   Wikipedia

  • river — river1 riverless, adj. riverlike, adj. /riv euhr/, n. 1. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels. 2. a similar stream of something other than water: a… …   Universalium

  • Rangitata River — ▪ river, New Zealand       river in east central South Island, New Zealand. It is formed by the confluence of the Clyde and Havelock rivers, which rise in the Southern Alps. The river s name is of Maori derivation and means “low sky.” The river… …   Universalium

  • Rakaia — /rəˈkaɪə/ (say ruh kuyuh) noun a river in NZ, in the South Island, flowing south east to the Canterbury Bight in the Pacific Ocean. 145 km …  

  • Braided River — Luftbild eines verflochtenen Flusses am Zusammenfluss von Yukon River und Koyukuk River in Alaska. Das dunkle Wasser des Koyukuk River (links) mischt sich mit dem silthaltigen hellen Wasser des Yukon River (rechts) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mathias River — Origin Southern Alps Mouth Rakaia River Basin countries New Zealand Length 17 kilometres (11 mi) The Mathias River is a river of the Canterbury Region …   Wikipedia

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