Hāpuku River

The Hāpuku River rises on the steep flanks of the Seaward Kaikōura Range on New Zealand’s South Island and travels roughly twenty kilometres southeast through a narrow valley lined with greywacke boulders before reaching the Pacific Ocean just north of Kaikōura. Its short, steep course shifts from tight gorges and forested slopes in the upper reaches to a wider braided bed lower down, creating a direct link between alpine wilderness and the coast. In the upper valley, marked and unmarked tracks invite challenging day hikes and multi-day tramps that involve repeated river crossings and rough terrain en route to Hapuku Hut and onward to Kowhai Saddle, while experienced hunters pursue red deer and wild pigs in the surrounding conservation park.