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Clutha River

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Flowing south-southeast for 340 kilometres through Central and South Otago to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres south west of Dunedin, The Clutha River is the second longest river in New Zealand.

The ultimate source of the river is at the end of the Makarora River, close to the saddle of the Haast Pass, which flows into the northern end of Lake Wanaka. The southern end of the lake drains into the nascent Clutha close to Albert Town, where it is met by its first main tributary, the Cardrona River. It is also met here by the Hawea River the outflow of Lake Wanaka's twin, Lake Hawea.

Clutha River

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History: The river was known by the Mâori as Matau. It takes its modern name from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde in Scotland which runs through Glasgow. During New Zealand's early colonial history it was known as the Molyneux, that name given to it by Captain Cook.
Further Information: The Clutha's average discharge estimated at 570 m³/s, comparable to many much larger rivers. This heavy flow, combined with the relatively small size of the river in global terms, makes the Clutha notoriously fast-flowing, and it is often listed as one of the world's most swiftly flowing rivers, alongside Australia's Macleay and Fitzroy Rivers, the Amazon and Atrato Rivers in South America, and the Teesta River in the Himalayas.