Okuru River

Okuru River
Aerial photo, 1951
Route of the Okuru River
Mouth of the Okuru River Show map of South Island Okuru River (New Zealand) Show map of New Zealand
Location
Country	New Zealand
Region	West Coast
District	Westland
Physical characteristics

Source	Maori Saddle
• coordinates	44°06′30″S 169°00′06″E / 44.1084°S 169.0018°E / -44.1084; 169.0018

Mouth
• location	Tasman Sea
• coordinates	44°03′10″S 169°08′47″E / 44.0527°S 169.1463°E / -44.0527; 169.1463
Length	45 km (28 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Okuru River → Tasman Sea
Tributaries
• left	Atom Creek, Shining Water, Dancing Water, Arcade Creek, Turmoil Torrent, Ngatau River, Franklin Creek, Eggeling Creek, Warren Creek, Nolans Creek
• right	Chatter Creek, Squabble Creek, Alioth Brook, Change Creek, Bright Water, Merry Brook, Alarm Creek, Princes Creek, Chlorite Creek, Swift Water, Emily Creek, Lindsay Creek, Katie Creek, Retreat Rivulet, Middle Creek, Staircase Creek, Nerger Creek, Denis Creek, Tillys Creek

The Okuru River is located on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It flows northwest for 45 kilometres from its headwaters in the Southern Alps to the west of the Haast Pass to the Tasman Sea at the northern end of Jackson Bay, 12 kilometres south of Haast.

The river shares its mouth with the Turnbull River. The settlement of Okuru is set on the bank of the river close to its mouth.

The Open Bay Islands lie five kilometres offshore opposite the mouth.

The river has an excellent brown trout fishery,^[1] and is used by kayackers, having around 6 class III rapids.^[2]

In 2019, the Okuru had migrated 600 m north and was threatening the road between Haast and Jackson Bay, and the Westland District Council was forced for the first time to straighten the river by cutting a new mouth to the sea.^[3]

References

↑ "Okuru River". NZ Fishing. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
↑ Clearwater, Don (19 January 2018). "Okuru River (I/III/IV-)". PackraftingTrips.NZ. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
↑ Sherman, Janna (29 August 2019). "Okuru River mouth cut to prevent washout". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 31 July 2026.

Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand
Mountains	Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Avalanche Mount Brewster Mount Castor Mount Earnslaw Mount Edward Mount Franklin Mount Maori Mount Pollux Rob Roy Peak
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

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	Bignell Reef Browne Island Open Bay Islands
Lakes and lagoons	Abel Lake Alpine Lake / Ata Puai Lake Ellery Lake Gault Lake Ianthe Lake Kaurapataka 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