Rivers of New Zealand Rivers of New Zealand The rivers of New Zealand are used for a variety of purposes and face a number of environmental issues. Many of the rivers in the South Island are braided rivers. The longest river in New Zealand is the Waikato River with a length of . The largest river by volume is the Clutha River with a mean discharge of . Some of the rivers, especially those with wide flood plains and stop banks, have long road bridges spanning them. The Rakaia River is crossed by the longest bridge in New Zealand at . The third longest
Missinaibi River from Missinaibi Lake to the Moose River is protected and part of the Missinaibi Provincial Park. The park also includes Missinaibi Lake, Brunswick River, Brunswick Lake, Little Missinaibi River, and Little Missinaibi Lake. Established in 1970 the park is huge and encompasses in total over 991 square kilometres (383 square miles) of wilderness. While rarely visited by travellers it is well known amongst canoeing enthusiasts and is one of their "must visit" destinations. Two main routes are available to paddlers: 1. Missinaibi River Route - stretching for 238 kilometres (144 miles) from the towns of Missinabie to Mattice 2. Mattice