Eglinton River

Eglinton River
Route of the Eglinton River
Mouth of the Eglinton River Show map of New Zealand Eglinton River (South Island) Show map of South Island
Native name	Upokororo
Location
Country	New Zealand
Physical characteristics
Source	West Branch
• location	Lake Fergus
• coordinates	44.8918°S 168.0799°E / -44.8918; 168.0799
2nd source	East Branch
• coordinates	44.9327°S 168.1046°E / -44.9327; 168.1046
Mouth
• location	Lake Te Anau
• coordinates	45°08′34″S 167°29′27″E
• elevation	204 m (669 ft)
Length	50 km (31 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Eglinton River → Lake Te Anau → Waiau River → Foveaux Strait
Tributaries
• left	Annear Creek (East Branch), Cascade Creek (West Branch), Plato Creek (West Branch), Smithy Creek (West Branch), Kiosk Creek (West Branch), Wesney Creek (West Branch), Black Creek (West Branch), Mackay Creek, Walker Creek, Boyd Creek, Dunton Creek, Retford Stream
• right	Mistake Creek (West Branch), Hut Creek (West Branch), Waterfall Creek (West Branch), Murcott Burn (West Branch)
Waterbodies	Lake Gunn

The Eglinton River is located in the region of Southland in the southwest of New Zealand. It flows through Fiordland National Park for 50 kilometres (31 mi). Its headwaters are at Lake Gunn, 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Milford Sound, and it flows generally south before entering Lake Te Anau along the lake's eastern shore opposite the entrance to North Fiord.

For much of its length the Eglinton is accompanied by the only road in the region, State Highway 94 from Te Anau to Milford Sound.^[1] The southern end of the Milford Track is located close to the Eglinton River.

The first Europeans to explore the river were David McKellar and George Gunn, in 1861.^[2] The river was named after Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton by James McKerrow, an Otago surveyor.^[3] The road which is now Highway 94 was built in 1935, opening up the valley to visitors.^[2]

The river flow is small leaving Lake Gunn but is greatly increased by Cascade Creek, which joins it just south of the lake. There are short gorges between Lake Gunn and Cascade Creek, and below the junction with Walker Creek. While the river has been kayaked from Cascade Creek, there is not usually sufficient water at this point and whitewater kayaking is more common from the junction with the East Branch.^[4] Rainbow and brown trout are available in the river up to Cascade Creek.^[5] Deer are hunted throughout the area, and wild pigs can be found near the river mouth.^[6]

Climate

Climate data for Eglinton Knobs Flat, elevation 365 m (1,198 ft), (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	19.8 (67.6)	20.0 (68.0)	17.7 (63.9)	14.1 (57.4)	10.7 (51.3)	7.9 (46.2)	7.4 (45.3)	9.9 (49.8)	12.2 (54.0)	14.4 (57.9)	16.3 (61.3)	18.8 (65.8)	14.1 (57.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	14.1 (57.4)	14.0 (57.2)	12.1 (53.8)	9.1 (48.4)	6.7 (44.1)	3.8 (38.8)	3.4 (38.1)	5.1 (41.2)	7.1 (44.8)	8.8 (47.8)	10.7 (51.3)	13.1 (55.6)	9.0 (48.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	8.4 (47.1)	8.0 (46.4)	6.5 (43.7)	4.2 (39.6)	2.6 (36.7)	−0.2 (31.6)	−0.5 (31.1)	0.3 (32.5)	1.9 (35.4)	3.2 (37.8)	5.1 (41.2)	7.5 (45.5)	3.9 (39.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	224.5 (8.84)	155.6 (6.13)	143.5 (5.65)	214.1 (8.43)	264.0 (10.39)	144.1 (5.67)	227.5 (8.96)	127.7 (5.03)	210.0 (8.27)	220.1 (8.67)	175.4 (6.91)	162.8 (6.41)	2,269.3 (89.36)
Source: NIWA[7]

References

1. Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. pp. maps 89, 97. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
2. "Eglinton River". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1966. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
3. Discover New Zealand:A Wises Guide (9th ed.). 1994. p. 451.
4. Egarr, Graham (1995). New Zealand's South Island Rivers. p. 75. ISBN 0-473-02959-6.
5. "Eglinton River Fishing". nzfishing.com. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
6. "Hunting in Fiordland". Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
7. "CliFlo – National Climate Database : Eglinton, Knobs Flat Cws". NIWA. Retrieved 19 May 2024.