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Whenua

Upokororo (the Eglinton River) flows from Ōtapara (Lake Gunn) in a generally southern direction before entering Te Ana-au (Lake Te Anau). Upokororo is the Māori name for the now extinct New Zealand grayling (Prototroctes oxyrhynchus). The young of this slender, silvery smelt were once common in lowland freshwater rivers and streams, and grew to maturity in saltwater. The Upokororo River was part of the traditional travel route that provided access between Te Ana-au and Piopiotahi (Milford Sound).

Whenua
Waihemo

Waihemo (Shag River) flows into the Otago coastline immediately south of Matakaea (Shag Point). Archaeological investigations have concluded a significant settlement once existed at the river mouth dating back to the 14th century.

Whenua
Makarore

Makarore is the correct spelling for the Makarora River which flows into the northern end of Lake Wānaka. Manga, or maka in the Kāi Tahu dialect, means stream.

Whenua
Mātakitaki

MĀTAKITAKI is the correct spelling for the Matukituki River, which flows from Kā Tiritiri-o-te-moana (the Southern Alps) into the west side of Lake Wānaka.

Whenua

Te Awa Whakatipu (the Dart River) flows from its headwaters in Kā Tiritiri-o-te-Moana (the Southern Alps) and the Dart Glacier, into the northern end of Whakatipu Waimāori (Lake Whakatipu).

Whenua
Tamatea

Tamatea is the Māori name for Dusky Sound in Te Rua-o-Te-Moko (Fiordland). One of the most complex of the many fiords along the coastline, it is also one of the largest. The large island of Mauikatau (Resolution Island) is located near its entrance, and Taumoana (Five Fingers Peninsula) shelters the mouth of the sound from the northwest.

Whenua
Waiariki

Waiariki (Stevenson’s Arm) is the picturesque stretch of water in Lake Wānaka between Parakārehu (Stevenson’s Peninsula) and the mainland. In 1844, the southern Ngāi Tahu leader Te Huruhuru drew Waiariki on a map for government agent Edward Shortland, who misinterpreted Waiariki as a separate lake.

Whenua
Te Wehi-a-Te-Wera

Te Wehi-a-Te-Wera is the Māori name for The Neck, the long, narrow peninsula at the entrance to Te Whaka-a-Te-Wera (Paterson Inlet) at Rakiura (Stewart Island). The name refers to the well-known Ngāi Tahu tipuna, Te Wera, who escaped to Rakiura following a series of inter-tribal conflicts in Otago.

Whenua
Moturau

Moturau is the correct Māori name for Lake Manapōuri in Te Rua-o-te-Moko (Fiordland). Roto-Ua is an earlier name for the lake, and was given by the Waitaha explorer Rākaihautū when…

Whenua

Ruapuke Island, 15 kilometres southeast of Awarua (Bluff), guards the eastern approaches to Te Ara-a-Kiwa (Foveaux Strait). This 1600 hectare island was the location of a major Ngāi Tahu settlement in the 19th century, and was the home of the great southern chief Tūhawaiki and his successor Topi Pātuki.

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