Ōpihi River

The Ōpihi River flows through south Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the endangered black-billed gull.^[1]

Ōpihi river looking towards the Two Thumb mountain range

Description

The river flows south-east for 75 kilometres (47 mi), reaching the Pacific Ocean 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of Timaru. The town of Fairlie lies on the river's banks.

History

The banks of the river around the settlement of Waitohi were the site of some of the first flights by pioneer aviator Richard Pearse.

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were introduced from California in the 1900s and persist today.^[2]

Ōpihi river (near Fairlie, New Zealand)

In 2000, Environment Canterbury approved the Opihi River Regional Plan for sustainable management of the resources of the river.^[3]