Balclutha, New Zealand established a ferry service across the Clutha in 1857; as a result the town was initially called Clutha Ferry. The Māori name for the area is Iwikatea, literally "Bleached bones" (a local Māori tribal battle in 1750 left the decomposing bodies of the defeated, their bones whitened in the sun). The Clutha River flows through the town. It is the largest river in New Zealand by volume of water, and the country's second longest after the Waikato. It provides the town with various recreational facilities, including fishing (brown trout), water skiing and power boating. The most prominent structure in the
Haast River owned and administered by the Department of Conservation. It is set within the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. State Highway 6 follows virtually the complete length of the river, with a bridge near the coast, just after the turnoff to the Haast township. At it is the longest one-lane road bridge in New Zealand, and the 7th longest New Zealand bridge overall. The river is named after Julius von Haast. Haast River The Haast River has its terminus on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Haast River drains the western watershed of the Haast Pass.