When it hasn't rained in a while, the river level drops enough that it is both safe, and pleasant, to visit certain areas with good access. During one sunny day we wandered down to our favourite spot.
(photo by me)
The local river is really nice, and clean (as in little silt, etc), and there is always wildlife to watch out for (as in studying, not running from; the only dodgy creatures of concern would be any nefarious humans hanging around).
There is a downside to having low water levels during summer however, and that is the dangers of the deadly toxic algae bloom (Cyanobacteria), the ingestion of which can cause illness and even death. Dog owners cannot let their pets swim in or drink the water either.
The Mataura River begins its journey in the Eyre Mountains, near Lake Wakatipu and travels down in a south-easterly direction before turning southward and flowing out into the ocean at Toetoes Bay. The river is about 120 miles long (that's 190 km).
image source
The kids like to skip stones across the water. They are usually successful when I don't happen to be watching.
(photo by me)
I like to hunt for any suitable pieces of river driftwood or particularly interesting stones to bring home.
We also take buckets with us and scoop up some of the clean river sand to take home. We have several uses for it, but you can only collect it when the river is pretty low, with no chance of rain as you'd never want to be caught in a sudden rise of water. The spot we go to is pretty shallow but further along it gets pretty deep and more dangerous, and several lives have been lost along there.
Always respect Mother Nature. And the Taniwha.
The river is famous with fly fishermen and women all over the world, for the brown trout that can be caught by 'dry fly fishing'. If you want to have a go, you need to purchase a licence. Googling will bring up enough images of these presumably tasty fish if you're interested. In recognition, Gore's icon is a statue of one. A very popular photo stop for tourists, and not easy to climb.
image source
Looking south. I don't think I've ever been able to capture the beauty of the spot well enough. One really needs to be there to get the full panoramic experience.
(photo by me)
Even in summer you have to watch out for marshy areas along the wide bank. I got stuck once. Luckily I had a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and no one but the kids were there to witness it. Fun times.
The river is ecologically important for reasons which include being a habitat for the endangered Black-billed Gull, which can only be found in New Zealand. Apparently about 78% of them make their home in this (my) general area. I see a lot of them.
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Looking north. In this spot you can almost forget you aren't the only person in the world. You, and the gazillion sheep grazing quietly across the river.
(photo by me)
While the stones are interesting, they still cannot beat a good sandy beach IMO.
Further back up the river it has even been dredged for gold in places, and today you can indulge in a bit of gold panning at spots like Winding Creek. Local museums have displays laying out the history of gold mining in the area, since it was discovered in the mid-1800s and there was a huge rush which stimulated the growth of towns and associated benefits. Waikaia is one such place to check out.
The Mataura River doesn't flood often, but when it does it is spectacularly powerful.
1978 brought one such event to the residents of the town of Mataura which sits along both sides of the river.
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Further back, during 1913, saw another epic flood in the town.
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We should never become complacent and forget the power, and the beauty, of such natural forces.
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Awesome to see photos of the floods!!
There's plenty more of them floating around, too. I'd much rather look at photos of the the floods than have experienced one, that's for sure!
Cool post and great photos! But I prefer the giant fish in Rakaia to the one in Gore! Haha...
That sucker is even harder to climb than the trout!
One year the local newspaper published an article about how the council had decided to ditch the trout and put up a giant moonshine bottle in honour of the area's history. I thought 'awesome, finally something different and interesting'.
It was only an April Fool's Day hoax.
Hahaha. Yeah. Did not know about the story, but the giant moonshine bottle would be a good testament to the history of the areas! I like the face BTW... hahaha. Thanks!
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Such a beautiful area, its an place y brother used to have a holiday to about once A year if I remember correctly, I know I met him there one year many years ago
Did he go for the fly fishing?
The whole area is a refreshing change of pace from the hussle & bussle of city life, that's for sure.
@ravenruis He fished occasionally but i think he mainly loved the scenery
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