Blue River (New Zealand)

Blue River
Blue River gorge at Blue Pools
Route of the Blue River
Location of the Blue RIver
Location
Country	New Zealand
Physical characteristics

Source	Eyetooth
• location	Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana
• coordinates	44°05′09″S 169°07′57″E / 44.08581°S 169.13259°E / -44.08581; 169.13259
• elevation	1,600 metres (5,200 ft)

Mouth	Makarora River
• coordinates	44°09′47″S 169°16′14″E / 44.163105°S 169.270692°E / -44.163105; 169.270692
• elevation	320 metres (1,050 ft)
Length	18 km (11 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Blue River North Branch
• right	Blue River South Branch

The Blue River is a small river in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows its entire length within the Mount Aspiring National Park, and although on the southeastern side of the main divide, the river is within the boundaries of the West Coast region for its entire length.

The headwaters are southeast of the main range of the Southern Alps near the mountain Eyetooth, with the smaller Blue River North Branch and South Branch joining the main Blue River later. Shortly before flowing into the Makarora River, the river passes through a narrow gorge.

At its confluence with the Makarora River, the aptly named Blue Pools are the destination of a popular^[1] short walk from State Highway 6, with a bridge crossing the Blue River and providing good views upstream into the gorge and downstream over the river flowing into Makarora River.^[2] The longer Blue Valley tramping track leads deep into the Blue River Valley and along most of the length of the river.

References

[edit]

^ "101 Kiwi Must Do's: The Blue Pools of Haast Pass". NZ Automobile Association. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
^ "Blue Pools Track". Department of Conservation NZ. Retrieved 22 March 2015.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blue River (New Zealand).

v t e Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand
Mountains	Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Brewster Mount Earnslaw Mount Franklin
Mountain ranges	Humboldt Mountains
Glaciers	Dart Glacier Olivine Ice Plateau Rob Roy Glacier Volta Glacier
Gorges and mountain passes	Gates of Haast Haast Pass
Rivers	Arawhata River Barrier River Bettne River Blue River Blue Duck River Bonar River Burke River Cascade River Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu Donald River Drake River Fish River Forgotten River Haast River Joe River Kitchener River Makarora River Matukituki River Mueller River Ngatau River Okuru River Olivine River Pearson River Pyke River Red Pyke River Routeburn River Te Naihi River Turnbull River Waiatoto River Waipara River Whitbourn River Wilkin River Williamson River Wills River Young River
Waterfalls	Bridal Veil Falls Fantail Falls Roaring Billy Falls Thunder Creek Falls
Walking tracks	Cascade Saddle Track Rees and Dart Tracks Routeburn Track Routeburn Classic
Other	Haast-Hollyford road Lake Sylvan Pleasant Flat

v t e Landforms of Westland District, New Zealand
Alpine passes	Arthur's Pass Browning Pass / Nōti Raureka Copland Pass Haast Pass
Bays	Bruce Bay Jackson Bay
Canyons, gorges and waterfalls	Fantail Falls Gates of Haast Hokitika Gorge Otira Gorge Roaring Billy Falls Thunder Creek Falls
Glaciers	Agassiz Glacier Douglas Glacier Fox Glacier Franz Josef Glacier Garden of Eden Ice Plateau Olivine Ice Plateau Volta Glacier
Headlands	Abut Head Awarua Point Gillespies Point Knights Point
Islands	Open Bay Islands
Lakes and lagoons	Abel Lake Alpine Lake / Ata Puai Lake Ellery Lake Gault Lake Ianthe Lake Kaniere Lake Mahinapua Lake Mapourika Lake Matheson Lake Moeraki Ōkārito Lagoon Lake Paringa Saltwater Lagoon Lake Wahapo
Mountain ranges	Butler Range Southern Alps
Mountains	Mount Adams Aoraki / Mount Cook Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Brewster Mount Dampier Mount Graham Mount Haast Mount Hopkins La Perouse Lendenfeld Peak Mount Rolleston Mount Sefton Silberhorn Mount Tasman Mount Vancouver Mount Whitcombe
River flats	Pleasant Flat
Rivers	Adams River Arahura River Arawhata River Balfour River Barlow River Barn River Bettne River Big Wainihinihi River Burke River Butler River Callery River Cascade River Clarke River Clearwater River Cook River / Weheka Copland River Cropp River Deception River Donald River Douglas River Drake River Duncan River Edison River Fork River Fox River Gorge River Gunn River Haast River Hacket River Hall River Hapuka River Harman River Hinatua River Hokitika River Hope River Jackson River Jerry River Kaniere River Karangarua River Kokatahi River Lambert River Landsborough River Lord River Macfarlane River Mahitahi River Jacobs River Manakaiaua River Maori River Martyr River Mikonui River Moeraki River Morse River Mueller River Mungo River Ngatau River North Barlow River Ohinemaka River Ōhinetamatea River Ōkārito River Okuru River Ōmoeroa River Oneone River Otehake River Ōtira River Ōtoko River Paringa River Perth River Poerua River Rolleston River Rotokino River Ruera River Ship Creek Smoothwater River Smyth River Spoon River Stafford River Strauchon River Styx River Taipo River Taramakau River Te Naihi River Te Rahotaiepa River Toaroha River Tōtara River Totarakaitorea River Troyte River Tuke River Turnbull River Waiatoto River Waiho River Waikūkūpa River Waipara River Waita River Waitaha River Waitangitāhuna River Waitangiroto River Wanganui River Whakaikai River Whakapohai River Whataroa River Whitcombe River Wilkinson River Willberg River Williamson River Wills River

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