Mangatāwhiri River

The Mangatāwhiri River is a river of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows generally southwest from its sources in the Hunua Ranges southeast of Clevedon before flowing through a system of irrigation canals at the northern edge of the Waikato Plains close to the town of Pōkeno. It reaches the Waikato River close to the township of Mercer.

Mangatāwhiri River
Mangatāwhiri River between the old and new Great South Rd bridges
Location
Country	New Zealand
Physical characteristics
Mouth
• location	Waikato River
Length	20 km (12 mi)
Basin size	104 km2 (40 sq mi)

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "Tāwhiri tree stream" for Mangatāwhiri.^[1]

The upper reaches of the Mangatāwhiri are dammed to form reservoirs to store water for use by Auckland City.

History

Under the orders of Governor George Grey, it was here that on 12 July 1863 British troops marched over and declared war on the Māori, starting the Waikato Land Wars.

See also

• List of rivers of New Zealand