Off the Beaten Track

A series of articles about some of the not-so-famous walks and tramps in New Zealand.

South Island

 The Gowan River








Location & Characteristics

Lake Rotoroa, in the Nelson Lakes area, is the source of the torrent that is the Gowan
River. The legendary West Coast explorer, Charles Heaphy discovered Rotoroa although he
originally named it Lake Howick. The lake is twice as long as its sister, Lake Rotoiti, the source
of the mighty Buller River. The Gowan flows into the Buller at Gowanbridge and contributes
substantially to the flow of that large river. Both lakes share a similar catchment area with
Rotoiti being fed by the Travers River and Rotoroa by the Sabine and D‟Urville Rivers. All these
rivers drain the Travers Range that rises high above both lakes. This vast catchment area
contributes a large amount of water to Rotoroa and results in a constant heavy flow down the
outlet river. The mountains are clad in beech trees and are snow-covered in winter so the inflow
water is always cold.

The Gowan River is reached by turning off SH6 at Gowanbridge taking the road that
crosses the Buller River just below the confluence with the Gowan. The sealed Gowan Valley
Road follows the river for all of the ten kilometres to Lake Rotoroa but the heavy foliage on the
banks restricts access to the river. The reaches just above the confluence are more open but the
better fishing is found further up.

Turning right over the bridge leads you to a track through the farm that borders the river
and permission to pass through should be gained from the farmhouse. Access to the river is
possible at a few points along this road but most will involve some heavy bushbashing so wear
appropriate protective clothing. Bare legs are not recommended (as my photographer found out
on our last excursion when we had to bushbash out to find the road).

There are a couple of access points from the main road above the bridge but the water
better suits left-handed anglers. The last access is through the Rotoroa Lodge property. An
approach to the lodge owner will usually see permission readily granted, which is generous for a
commercial operation. The road on the lodge side follows the river for a couple of kilometres
and again access to the water is possible, here and there, by pushing through the bank side trees.
The top part of this section, flowing past the lodge, is much less turbulent, although the current is
still strong.


 


 The Arnold River







Location & Characteristics

One of the West Coast‟s most famous lakes is the source of the sombre waters of the
Arnold River. Lake Brunner is quite a large lake, 10 km across, and is fed by several rivers with
the main inflow from the Orangapuku and Crooked Rivers.

Access to the river can be awkward, especially if the lake is high and the river is running
strongly. The river is both wide and deep, making wading over the slippery stones a hazardous
exercise. When the river is high, it is impossible to work up the riverbed and it is necessary to
push through the bankside vegetation to reach the river. The banks are heavily-covered with
either bush or willows.

The road from Moana to Stillwater follows the river for 25 km and yields access at
various points, the main one being the bridge beside the Kokiri freezing works. About halfway
along the road, there is a dam and a hydroelectric station, not far off the main road. This adds a
further buffer for any spates of higher flow down the upper river although the river level is
dictated by the amount of water being spilled from the power station.




Tekapo Canal






Tekapo River

Location & Characteristics

The first sight of the Tekapo River can be a bit traumatic. There is plenty of water in
the canal that transfers the waters of Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki but this leaves only a
trickle in the riverbed itself below the Tekapo dam. There will have been many would-be
anglers that have dismissed the dried up riverbed as not capable of holding trout. That is true
for the first few kilometres of the river downstream from the dam. However roughly halfway
down, there is a considerable inflow of water from the various tributaries; Irishman‟s Creek,
Fork Stream, Maryburn and on the east side, Grays River. 

The only problem is getting there.

The only access to the true left bank is River Road, the old hydro access road that
starts below the dam just out of Tekapo village. 'Roug'‟ does not begin to describe this road.
It is not recommended for anyone that cares for their car. Unless you have a high clearance 4
WD vehicle or similar, the large stones that form the base of this road will give the
underneath of any saloon car, a real pounding. It takes around 45 minutes of slow driving to
reach the Maryburn confluence. If you have the vehicle to put up with this rough treatment,
you will be rewarded with the sight of a delightful series of pools and riffles.

The River Road travels the entire length of the river but the exit points at Pukaki and
Twizel can be badly eroded and may only be able to be used by serious 4 WD vehicles. It
pays to check at the local service station whether these accesses are navigable. If not, then it
is necessary to return to the Tekapo end to exit the river.

Access to the other side of the river is gained from the road to Haldon Arm on Lake
Benmore. Grays River is crossed half way down and the main river can be reached via the
tributary. Further down it is possible to cross the farm fields to the river, if you have gained
permission. At the end of Haldon road, there is a good camping ground and it is a popular
spot during the summer holidays. There are rough tracks up the river for some distance but
again 4 WD is recommended – it‟s a long way to the nearest towtruck! There was an old
bridge across the river, not far up from the camping ground. This was called the Iron Pot
Bridge but at last report the bridge was no longer in use.