Tour of Waikato, Stage 8 (Waikato River)
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for 425 kilometres (264 mi) through the North Island. It rises in the eastern slopes of Mt Ngauruhoe (aka Mount Doom), joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake. It then drains Taupo at the lake’s northeastern edge, creates the Huka Falls, and flows northwest through the Waikato Plains. It empties into the Tasman Sea south of Auckland, at Port Waikato. It gives its name to the Waikato Region that surrounds the Waikato Plains. The present course of the river was largely formed about 17,000 years ago. Contributing factors were climate warming, forest being reestablished in the river headwaters and the deepening, rather than widening, of the existing river channel. The name Waikato comes from the Maori language and translates as flowing water. The Waikato River has spiritual meaning for various local Maori tribes, including the large Tainui, who regard it as a source of their mana, or pride. The river has a series of eight dams and nine hydro-electric power stations that generate electricity for the national grid. These were constructed between 1929 and 1971 to meet growing demand for electricity. Approximately 4000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity is generated annually by the scheme, which is around 13% of New Zealand’s total electrical generating capacity.
Region: Waikato
City: Whakamaru
Distance: 30.65 km
Elevation Gain: 217 m
Elevation Loss: 149 m
Difficulty: 148 (Easy)
FIETS Index: 0.02 FIETS
Avg Grade: 0.24 %
Max cat climb: 5
Min elevation: 228 m
Max elevation: 298 m
Ride Category: Flat