Manawatu
Manawatu is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- -40.30°, 175.76°
About Manawatu
The Manawatū River is a major river of the lower North Island of New Zealand. The river flows from the Ruahine Ranges, through both the Manawatū Gorge and the city of Palmerston North, and across the Manawatū Plains to the Tasman Sea at Foxton.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Manawatū River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Manawatu in Depth
Geography
The Manawatū River has its headwaters northwest of Norsewood in the Tararua District, on the eastern slopes of the Ruahine Range on the North Island of New Zealand. It flows initially eastward before turning south-west near Ormondville, flowing 40 kilometres (25 mi) before turning north-west near Woodville. At this point it enters the Manawatū Gorge, between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges. Beyond the gorge it joins with the Pohangina River at Ashhurst and turns south-west, flowing through the city of Palmerston North. At this stage the river is still flowing swiftly and carrying gravel from the mountains.
After Opiki, it slows and has a lower gradient, meandering over the Manawatū Plains; its bed at this point is mud and silty sand.
Geology
The Manawatū is unique among New Zealand rivers in that it crosses a mountain range. The river has formed a "water gap" across the mountains because it is older than the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges. Most rivers arise from an already-existing range of mountains or hills, but beginning about 3 million years ago the central North Island mountain ranges began to uplift across the Manawatū's current course. Because it drained a large catchment, the river had sufficient flow to keep pace with and erode the rising mountains, eventually forming the Manawatū Gorge; other rivers were unable to and were diverted into the Manawatū instead.
After exiting the Manawatū Gorge, the river carries rock and sediment down from the mountains.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Manawatū River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Manawatu: Key Facts
| Length | 180 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 5,899 km² |
| Source | Ruahine Range |
| Mouth | Tasman Sea |
| Tributaries | Mangahao River, Mangatewainui River, Oroua River, Tokomaru River, Turitea Stream, Tamaki River, Pohangina River, Mangatoro River |
Facts from Wikidata Q618313 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Manawatu: Quick Answers
- Where is Manawatu?
- Manawatu is located in New Zealand, at 40.3045° S, 175.7584° E.
- Are there dams on the Manawatu?
- No dam on the Manawatu is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.