Kaituna River
| Kaituna River | ||
 Kayaking and rafting |
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| Data | ||
| location | Bay of Plenty region , North Island , New Zealand | |
| River system | Kaituna River | |
| origin |
Lake Rotoiti 38 ° 1 ′ 18 ″ S , 176 ° 20 ′ 42 ″ E |
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| muzzle |
Bay of Plenty Coordinates: 37 ° 44 ′ 54 " S , 176 ° 24 ′ 54" E 37 ° 44 ′ 54 " S , 176 ° 24 ′ 54" E
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|
| length | 50 km | |
| Catchment area | 600 km² | |
| Drain |
MNQ |
39 m³ / s |
| Small towns | Te Puke | |
The Kaituna River is a river in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island . It is the outflow of Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti , it then flows 45 km north, crosses State Highway 2 and flows northeast of Te Puke into the Bay of Plenty . The river divides here, one arm of the river flows into the sea in a northerly direction, the other forms a lagoon-like estuary , Maketu Estuary , to the west .
Dispute over pollution
In the 1970s, Lake Rotorua suffered from increasing eutrophication . The Ministry of Works therefore suggested collecting some of the wastewater and discharging it directly into the river. The local Iwi of the Māori , however, sued the Waitangi Tribunal . They lamented an insult to other iwi that would cause their own mana to be lost and the destruction of the river's mauri (life force), which they believed would destroy the river's ability to sustain aquatic life. The Ministry of Works statement stated that the concept of “maui” was essentially religious in nature and not scientifically founded, on the other hand, diluting the wastewater would avoid excessive pollution and keep costs at a bearable level. The traditional Māori culture, on the other hand, does not distinguish between religion and science, as modern western cultures do.
Ultimately, the decision was made in 1990 to use the Rotorua Land Treatment Scheme to improve wastewater treatment to such an extent that 80% of the nitrogen and phosphates are removed from the wastewater in the inflow of the lake and the amounts used in agriculture in order to reduce eutrophication and to satisfy the cultural desires of the Māori.
Power generation
On the upper reaches of the river there was a small hydropower plant that operated from 1901 to 1936 and was the first hydropower plant built by the New Zealand government. There were several plans for a larger power plant, but they were not implemented because of the high costs.
Recreational use
The upper reaches of the river with its white water has been used regularly for kayaking and rafting since 1991 . The 7 m high Okere Falls are also used with the rafts . Fishing for trout is also possible.
The access to the upper gorge is equipped with a slalom course, which was used by teams for their training before world and Olympic championships.
literature
- New Zealand Travel Atlas , Wise Maps Auckland Map 17 ISBN 0-908794-47-9 .
