Water in New Zealand and are of varying types and origins. Many of the lakes in the central North Island area are volcanic crater lakes, while the majority of the lakes near the Southern Alps were carved by glaciers. Hydroelectric reservoirs are common in South Canterbury, Central Otago and along the Waikato River. Over 180,000 kilometres of rivers has been mapped in New Zealand, the longest being the Waikato River with a length of 425 kilometres and the largest river by volume is the Clutha River with a mean discharge of 533 cubic metres per second. New Zealand has many notable waterfalls, some of
Whanganui River Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second (after Te Urewera) natural resource to be given its own legal identity, with the rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person. The Whanganui Treaty settlement brought the longest-running litigation in New Zealand history to an end. With a length of , the Whanganui is the country's third-longest river. Much of the land to either side of