History of the Nelson Region, New Zealand region and named the sea between the North and South Island as "Cook Strait". They landed at Queen Charlotte Sound and Ship Cove, both names of which were named by the British explorer. There, they spent several weeks repairing their ship "The Endeavour" and reloading food and water supplies. Captain Cook's and his crew were to enter the "Ship Cove" in their subsequent voyages to New Zealand in 1773 and 1777 respectively. On 22 January 1827, the French explorer Dumont d'Urville along with French crew on the ship "Astrolabe " entered the Tasman Bay into what is now known today
Balclutha, New Zealand town is the concrete Balclutha Road Bridge across the river, which was built in 1935. The original 1868 wooden bridge was washed away on 14 October 1878. Rebuilt in 1881, it was later considered unsuitable for motor vehicles. The South Island Main Trunk Railway crosses the river some 800 metres downstream, near the junction where the Clutha River divides into the southern branch, known as the Koau (pied shag), and the northern the Matau (derived from Mata Au, the Maori name for the Clutha). Most of Balclutha township lies on 'the flat' land which lies within a wide loop in