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Buller River
| The principal river on the West Coast flows swift and broad from Lake
Rotoiti (in Nelson Lakes National Park) westward through uplifted mountain
blocks to reach the sea at Westport. For most of its 169 kilometres the
river is contained within gorges, steep-sided and well-bushed, engendering
much remarkable scenery, particularly in the Lower Buller Gorge. Between
them Highways 6 and 63 follow the river for most of its length. |
The changing light playing on densely forested ranges is a constant
diversion. There are numerous picnic places and lookout points to remind of
the havoc wrought by earthquakes in 1929 and 1968, whose tremors
destabilised much of the land.
The river is named after Charles Buller, a director of the New Zealand
Company. It has been suggested that the title was chosen in London, at a
board meeting, but research has shown that the explorers Brunner, Heaphy and
Fox seriously debated the merits of several names before deciding to honour
the brilliant young British parliamentarian. There are several versions of
the Maori name, usually given as Kawatiri or Kawatere and freely translated
as "water flowing swiftly through a rocky gorge". |
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