Manawatu River

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Manawatu River is a major river in the southern North Island of New Zealand.

The origins of the river to the northwest of Norsewood in the Ruahine Ranges of southern Hawke 's Bay. He then initially flows eastward, swings later Ormondville close to the southeast, flows another 40 miles and then makes at Woodville a turn to the northwest. There the Manawatu Gorge begins. After passing through the gorge, the river turns again to the southwest and flows through Palmerston North, before it joins at Foxton Beach in the Tasman Sea.

The river is unique among the rivers of New Zealand: It rises on the eastern side of the island dividing mountain ranges and opens out on the west side. The river forms at the Manawatu Gorge, a gorge cut, which formed as the flow in the slowly heaving mountains nick. This means that the flow must be older than the intersected by him Ruahine and Tararua Ranges.

Important tributaries are the Makakahi, Mangahao, Pohangina and Oroua River. The total length of the Manawatu is 180 km, so it is only at number 12 in the rivers of New Zealand. With 102 m³ / s but he has after the Waikato River is the second largest outflow of the rivers of the North Island.

The river gives, together with the more northerly Whanganui River, the Manawatu -Wanganui region its name.

The river's name is from the Māori words manawa (heart / mind) and tB ( resting, dejected ) be formed, eg " fear Resting Heart " or " broken spirit " ( Reed, 1996:47 ).

A flood of the river in February 2004 made ​​over 2000 people homeless, mainly from Marton and Feilding, and damaged more than 1,000 farms. The Benefit payouts are estimated at 122 million New Zealand dollars. Further damage was prevented only by opening the flood gates of Moutoa that hold back the river near Opiki.

Swell

Reed, A.W. (1996 ) The Reed Dictionary of Place Names Mäori, Te Papakupu Ingoa Wähi a Mäori Reed ( 3rd Ed) Reed Publishing: Auckland, New Zealand