Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Clutha Mata-Au

 The Clutha Mata-Au is New Zealand's largest river and one of the swiftest and most unspoiled high volume rivers in the world. It is the longest river in the South Island, flowing 338kms from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps, through the Central Otago semi-desert - the driest region in New Zealand, through Balclutha to the Pacific Ocean.
Mike Harris (Husband of Jenny- Teacher Fellow who showed me around the Catlins) helps manage the waterways for the Regional Council down here. He took me out to the mouth of the Clutha Mata-Au River early evening.
End of the road! Mouth of the Clutha pouring out into the Pacific Ocean.

Sand/ gravel bar being pushed up the coast

The sand is very coarse and comes right up- here to a local "Crib" (note the South Island term for a "Batch"!) See the outhouse on the right. There were three other cribs to the left- sea side of this crib that have gone- thanks to mother nature.

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