Motu River
Encyclopedia
Motu River is a major waterway in the eastern portion of the North Island
of New Zealand
. It rises on the slopes of Maungahaumi
on the southern side of the Raukumara Range
south of Opotiki
, heads east and cuts its way through the range (where it receives important tributaries) and empties into the Bay of Plenty
to the north.
The Māori name Mōtu means cut off, isolated. This refers to the district around the headwaters, which since ancient times has been considered to be in the middle of nowhere because of the thickness of the forests which surrounded it.
The river passes through mostly uninhabited hill country, very steep and still thickly covered in rainforest. It is much used for adventure tourism (jet-boating and white-water rafting). A mid-20th century proposal to dam the river for hydroelectricity was rejected.
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It rises on the slopes of Maungahaumi
Maungahaumi
Maungahaumi is a mountain in the Raukumara Range in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island.Part of the backbone of the range, which forms part of a line of mountains extending across much of the North Island, 1213 metre Maungahaumi is the southernmost of the Raukumara Range's four major peaks...
on the southern side of the Raukumara Range
Raukumara Range
The Raukumara Range lies north of Gisborne, near East Cape in New Zealand's North Island. It forms part of the North Island's main mountain chain, which runs north-northeast from Wellington to East Cape, and is composed primarily of greywacke, argillites, siltstones and sandstones. The North...
south of Opotiki
Opotiki
Opotiki is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Opotiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.-Population:* of the town: 4176 - Male 1,989, Female 2,187...
, heads east and cuts its way through the range (where it receives important tributaries) and empties into the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
to the north.
The Māori name Mōtu means cut off, isolated. This refers to the district around the headwaters, which since ancient times has been considered to be in the middle of nowhere because of the thickness of the forests which surrounded it.
The river passes through mostly uninhabited hill country, very steep and still thickly covered in rainforest. It is much used for adventure tourism (jet-boating and white-water rafting). A mid-20th century proposal to dam the river for hydroelectricity was rejected.