Haast River

The Haast River is a river in the regions of Otago and West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. He first runs in the Otago region, then in the region of West Coast. Here his entire middle section runs along the northern border of Otago and the Mount Aspiring National Park region.

The river has its source in Mount Aspiring National Park, north of the Haast Pass. This is the watershed for flowing southward Makarora River. The river is about 100 kilometers long runs first north, then in a westerly and southwesterly direction. It flows about 3 kilometers north-west of Haast Haast Beach in the south-east of the Tasman Sea. Haast is the only village on the river.

The most important tributary is the Landsborough River. More right tributaries are Wills River, The Roaring Billy, Thomas River, left tributary of the Burke River and the Macpherson Creek and Lake Barra. The grassy plains in the lower reaches are used for grazing, the upper reaches is mountainous. Middle and lower reaches of the river are a distinctive braided river.

The river is traveled by tourist boats, guided tours along the river are offered. The river is fished on brook and rainbow trout and salmon.

The river often leads silt of glacial origin, derived from the glaciers of the Southern Alps. Most of the surrounding land is publicly owned and is managed by the Department of Conservation. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Te Wahipounamu.

The State Highway 6 follows almost the entire river length and has near the mouth just behind Haast a bridge. This is with 737 m length of the longest one-lane bridge and the siebentlängste New Zealand.

The river is named after the German geologist Julius von Haast.