29-678: The Rangitaiki River is the longest river in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand's North Island . It is 155 kilometres (96 mi) long, and rises inland from northern Hawkes Bay to the east of the Kaingaroa Forest . The Rangitaiki catchment covers an area of 3005 km. It flows in a generally northeastward direction, passing through the town of Murupara and skirting close to the western edge of Te Urewera National Park before turning northwards, flowing past Edgecumbe and into
58-474: A 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) flood (also known as the “100 year” flood). Heading downstream from its source the river has the following tributaries: Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( Māori : Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi ) is a large bight along the northern coast of New Zealand 's North Island . It stretches 260 kilometres (160 mi) from the Coromandel Peninsula in
87-592: A bight as a bay that could be sailed out of on a single tack in a square-rigged sailing vessel, regardless of the direction of the wind (typically meaning the apex of the bight is less than 25 degrees from the edges). According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , an indentation with an area as large as (or larger than) that of the semi-circle whose diameter is a line drawn across
116-552: A large dairy factory owned by Fonterra discharges waste products into the river. The river finally enters the sea at Thornton through a man made 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) long channel. Prior to the completion of the Matahina Dam annual discharge figures for suspended and bed load sediment near the river mouth were about 201,000 and 188,000 tonne respectively, Since then the Matahina dam has acted as an effective barrier to
145-577: Is being deposited in the deep portion of Lake Matahina. The river's condition is monitored at Murupara, Aniwhenua and Te Teko. The arrival of Europeans in the area lead to draining of wetland and low-lying areas along the river to create usable agricultural and horticultural lands. To support these activities the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act was passed in 1910. Once the Rangitaiki plains approximately 40,000 hectares of wetland
174-459: Is only the peak of a much larger submarine volcano , which rises up to 1,600 m (5,249 ft) above the nearby seafloor. Sulphur was mined on the island until the 1930s. Ten miners were killed in 1914 when part of the crater wall collapsed. The Bay of Plenty has a temperate , maritime climate, with warm, humid summers and mild winters. According to local Māori traditions , the Bay of Plenty
203-465: The Musket Wars . However, the 1830s and 1840s saw increased contact between Bay of Plenty Māori and Europeans through trade, although few Europeans settled in the region. Missionary activity in the region also increased during this time. In 1853, New Zealand was subdivided into provinces , with the Bay of Plenty incorporated into Auckland Province . Conflict returned to the Bay of Plenty during
232-517: The confiscation of considerable land from several Bay of Plenty iwi by the government. Confiscation of Māori land deprived local iwi of economic resources (among other things), and also provided land for expanding European settlement. The government established fortified positions, including at Tauranga, Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki. European settlers arrived throughout the latter half of the 19th century, establishing settlements in Katikati , Te Puke and
261-688: The 1860s with the New Zealand Wars . Initially this stemmed from Tauranga iwi supporting the Waikato iwi in their conflict with the government. In retaliation, British Crown and government-allied Māori forces attacked the Tauranga iwi, including at the famous Battle of Gate Pā in 1864. Further conflict with the government arose in 1865 when German missionary Carl Völkner and interpreter James Fulloon were killed by local Māori at Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne, respectively. The ensuing conflict resulted in
290-534: The Bay of Plenty close to Thornton . There are two man-made lakes on the Rangitaiki formed by hydro-electric dams, Lake Āniwaniwa (formerly Lake Aniwhenua). and Lake Matahina . In April 2017, remnants of Cyclone Debbie caused heavy rainfall in the region. At 8:30 am on April 6, water from the Rangitaiki River breached the College Road floodwall at Edgecumbe, causing widespread flooding across
319-762: The Bay of Plenty coast. From its source in the Ahimanawa Ranges it flows for 64 kilometres (40 mi) across the Kaingaroa Plains towards Murupara. Near the northern edge of the plains the river has been dammed by the Rangitāiki Dam, approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) downstream of its confluence with the Wheao River . The dam diverts all but at least 0.5 cumecs into the Wheao and Flaxy power scheme, which discharges into Wheao River which joins
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#1732779768331348-768: The Bay of Plenty in the 1900s, with butter and cheese feeding economic prosperity throughout the early 20th century; local Māori continued to live on the fringe of this prosperity. Timber also became a major export in the 1950s, as kiwifruit did later. On 5 October 2011, the MV Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef in the bay causing a large oil spill , described as New Zealand's worst ever environmental disaster. A volcanic eruption occurred on Whakaari / White Island at 14:11 on 9 December 2019, which resulted in twenty fatalities and twenty-seven injuries, most suffering severe burns. Forty-seven people were reportedly on
377-478: The Rangitaiki Plains area dropped by approximately1.5 metres (4.9 ft). This fall of the river level encouraged further agricultural and horticultural development in this area following the end of World War I. The hydro-electric potential of the river has been utilized by the construction of the following generation stations: The development of flood control, mitigation schemes and drainage schemes
406-499: The Rangitaiki area. In 1876, settlements were incorporated into counties following the nationwide dissolution of the provincial system. Initial settlements in the region struggled: the climate was ill-suited to sheep farming and the geography was inaccessible, further hindered by a lack of infrastructure. By the end of the century the population had started to dwindle. But after experimenting with different crops, settlers found success with dairy production. Dairy factories sprang up across
435-596: The Rangitaiki upstream of Murupara. By the time it reaches the settlement at Murupara the river has a catchment of over 720 km. Within 20 kilometres (12 mi) downstream of Murupara, two major tributaries, the Whirinaki River and the Horomanga River enter the river on the eastern side. The river then continues north over the Galatea Plains before it enters the man-made Lake Āniwaniwa,
464-627: The Waiohau Plains before it enters a gorge housing the man-made Lake Matahina the waters of which power the Matahina Power Station. No major tributaries enter the river downstream of the Lake Matahina. Below Matahina the Rangitaiki passes the village of Te Mahoe and through a well-defined valley before crossing the 29,000 ha Rangitaiki Plains and passing the settlements of Te Teko, Edgecumbe and Thornton. At Edgecumbe
493-471: The active andesite stratovolcano Whakaari / White Island . Whakaari is New Zealand's most active cone volcano , and has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years. The nearest mainland towns are Whakatāne and Tauranga . The island has been in a nearly continuous stage of releasing volcanic gas at least since it was sighted by James Cook in 1769. Whakaari erupted continually from December 1975 until September 2000, marking
522-546: The bay Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi (the Ocean of Toitehuatahi), or Te Moana-a-Toi for short, after Toi-te-huatahi , an early ancestor of the Mātaatua tribes. Early Māori settlement also gave rise to many of the town and city names used today. The first recorded European contact came when James Cook sailed through the Bay of Plenty in 1769. Cook noted the abundance of food supplies, in comparison to Poverty Bay further back along
551-488: The eastern coast of the North Island. Further reports of European contact are scarce prior to the arrival of missionary Samuel Marsden to the Tauranga area in 1814. Bay whaling stations operated in the bay during the 19th century. During the 1820s and 1830s, northern iwi including Ngā Puhi invaded the Bay of Plenty during their campaign throughout the North Island, fighting local Māori tribes in what became known as
580-485: The island when it erupted. A second eruption closely followed the first. Bight (geography) In geography , a bight ( / b aɪ t / ) is a concave bend or curvature in a coastline , river or other geographical feature, or it may refer to a very open bay formed by such a feature. Such bays are typically broad, open, shallow and only slightly recessed. Bights are distinguished from sounds , in that sounds are much deeper. Traditionally, explorers defined
609-442: The seaward movement of sediment by the Rangitaiki River, with equivalent post-dam values have dropped to 65,000 and 10,000 tonne. This trapping of sediment has halted or substantially reduced the downstream historical rising river bed and coastal progradation of the Rangitaiki plains. Since the completion of the upstream Aniwhenua dam in 1982, it had become the principal sediment capture point though an increasing amount of sediment
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#1732779768331638-621: The township. A state of emergency was declared for the Whakatane District, and around 2,000 people were evacuated to Kawerau and Whakatāne . More than 300 homes were damaged, with some becoming uninhabitable. A review of the flood was undertaken by a panel consisting of Sir Michael Cullen (chair), Kyle Christensen, and Charlie Price. The river is 155 kilometres (96 mi) long, rising at an elevation of 740 metres (2,430 ft) above mean sea level, 32 kilometres (20 mi) east of Lake Taupo and 130 kilometres (81 mi) south of
667-665: The waters of which power the Aniwhenua Power Station. Below the power station the river passes over the Aniwhenua falls and then squeezes through a narrow chasm. Downstream of the dam, the main channel passes through a gorge and then out onto the Waiohau Plains and past the settlement of Waihau. Several small tributaries arising in the Ikawhenua Ranges cross the Waiohau Plains to join the Rangitaiki. The river travels for 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) across
696-647: The west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi (the Ocean of Toitehuatahi) in the Māori language after Toi-te-huatahi , an early ancestor, the name 'Bay of Plenty' was bestowed by James Cook in 1769 when he noticed the abundant food supplies at several Māori villages there, in stark contrast to observations he had made earlier in Poverty Bay . The bay is defined by 259 kilometres (161 mi) of open coastline used for economic, recreational and cultural purposes. The coastline from Waihi Beach in
725-537: The west to Opape is defined as sandy coast, while the coast from Opape to Cape Runaway is rocky shore. Sizeable harbours are located at Tauranga, Whakatāne and Ohiwa. Major estuaries include Maketu , Little Waihi, Whakatāne, Waiotahe and Waioeka / Ōtara . Eight major rivers empty into the bay from inland catchments, including the Wairoa , Kaituna , Tarawera , Rangitaiki , Whakatane , Waioeka , Motu and Raukokore rivers. The bay contains numerous islands, notably
754-502: The world's longest historic eruption episode, according to GeoNet , as well as in 2012, 2016, and 2019. The latter of these resulted in 22 deaths and 25 serious injuries, primarily of tourists from a nearby cruise ship who were exploring the island at the time. Whakaari / White Island is roughly circular, about 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter, and rises to a height of 321 m (1,053 ft) above sea level. It covers an area of approximately 325 ha (800 acres). The exposed island
783-579: Was drained and converted to farmland. At the same time the existing dual discharges of the river towards the Whakatāne River to the east and the Tarawera River estuary to the west were replaced by the cutting of a channel near Thornton to provide a new direct outlet for the Rangitaiki to the sea. Within a day of the new outlet being opened in May 1914 the level of the Rangitaiki in the lower sections of
812-528: Was the landing point of several migration canoes that brought Māori settlers to New Zealand. These include the Mātaatua , Nukutere , Tākitimu , Arawa and Tainui canoes. Many of the descendent iwi maintain their traditional homelands ( rohe ) in the region, including Te Whānau-ā-Apanui , Te Whakatōhea , Ngāi Tai , Ngāi Tūhoe , Ngāti Awa , Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Te Arawa , Ngāi Te Rangi , Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pūkenga . Māori named
841-574: Was undertaken u to the requirements of the Land Drainage Act 1908, Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941, and specificity for the Rangitaiki catchment Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act 1910 and the Rangitāiki Land Drainage Act 1956. To assist in controlling floods settlements and productive land downstream of Te Teko is protected by a system of stopbanks (also known as floodbanks). These are designed to provide protection from
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