This autumn image was shot just down stream Tarras, (Wanaka Region of
Central Otago)
Extra Information
The ultimate source of the river is at the end of the Makarora River, close
to the saddle of the Haast Pass, which flows into the northern end of Lake
Wanaka. The southern end of the lake drains into the nascent Clutha close
to Albert Town, where it is met by its first main tributary, the Cardrona
River. It is also met here by the Hawea River the outflow of Lake Wanaka's
twin, Lake Hawea. Shortly thereafter the river widens into Lake Dunstan, an
artificial lake created behind the massive hydroelectric dam at Clyde. At
this point it is joined by another tributary, the Lindis.
Fifty kilometres south of Lake Wanaka, the Clutha reaches the town of
Cromwell, which was substantially altered when the Clyde Dam project was
completed in the late 1980s. Here the river is joined by the waters of the
Kawarau. Prior to the construction of the Clyde Dam, this junction was
renowned for the difference in colour between the two rivers’ waters.
The river then flows southeast through the scenic Cromwell Gorge to Clyde
and nearby Alexandra, where it is joined by the waters of the Manuherikia
River. South of Alexandra the river widens again to form Lake Roxburgh,
another man-made lake, this time behind the Roxburgh Dam, which was
constructed in the late 1950s. The town of Roxburgh sits close to the
river, 120 kilometres downstream from Lake Wanaka.
From here the river continues southeast past the towns of Ettrick, Millers
Flat, and Beaumont, before it is met by the Tuapeka River at Tuapeka Mouth.
At this point the river turns southward, before being met by its last major
tributary, the Pomahaka River, which joins the Clutha 30 kilometres from
the coast. The river passes the town of Balclutha before widening into the
Clutha delta which contains the large flat island of Inch Clutha.
The Clutha's average discharge estimated at 570 m³/s, comparable to many
much larger rivers. This heavy flow, combined with the relatively small
size of the river in global terms, makes the Clutha notoriously
fast-flowing, and it is often listed as one of the world's most swiftly
flowing rivers, alongside Australia's Macleay and Fitzroy Rivers, the
Amazon and Atrato Rivers in South America, and the Teesta River in the
Himalayas.
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 "Clutha River - Click for larger image")
