Clutha River

Clutha River Mata-Au, Molyneux
Upper Clutha Valley, looking upriver toward the Southern Alps
Clutha River basin (Interactive map)
Etymology	Mata-au: current in the water. Clutha: from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde
Native name	Mata-Au (Māori)
Location
Country	New Zealand
Region	Otago
Settlements	Wānaka, Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Balclutha
Physical characteristics
Source	Mount Brewster
• location	Southern Alps
• elevation	1,540 metres (5,050 ft)
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• coordinates	46°21′S 169°48′E / 46.350°S 169.800°E / -46.350; 169.800
• elevation	Sea level
Length	338 km (210 mi)
Basin size	21,000 km2 (8,100 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	614 m3/s (21,700 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Makarora River → Lake Wānaka → Clutha River → Pacific Ocean
Tributaries
• left	Hāwea River, Lindis River, Manuherikia River, Beaumont River, Tuapeka River
• right	Cardrona River, Kawarau River, Pomahaka River, Waiwera River
Waterbodies	Lake Wānaka, Lake Dunstan, Lake Roxburgh
Islands	Inch Clutha

The Clutha River (Māori: Mata-Au, officially gazetted as Clutha River / Mata-Au) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast 338 kilometres (210 mi) through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres (47 mi) south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of 21,000 square kilometres (8,100 sq mi), discharging a mean flow of 614 cubic metres per second (21,700 cu ft/s).^[1][2] The river is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. A river conservation group, the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group, is working to establish a regional river parkway, with a trail, along the entire river corridor.