Wilberforce River

Wilberforce River
Location of the mouth within New Zealand
Location
Country	New Zealand
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Southern Alps
Mouth
• location	Rakaia River

The Wilberforce River is a river in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It is located in western Canterbury and is naturally a tributary of the Rakaia River,[1] but like the Harper River, it has had some of its flow diverted into Lake Coleridge as part of a hydroelectricity project. This diversion boosted the output of the Coleridge Power Station and was established in 1977.[2]

An early proposal for the route of the Midland Line railway from Christchurch to Westland involved extending the Whitecliffs Branch to the West Coast via the Wilberforce River and Browning Pass / Nōti Raureka. This was one of the proposals rejected in favour of a route via Arthur's Pass.[3]

References

1. Map of the Lake Coleridge Basin, showing the Wilberforce River's location
2. TurstPower - Coleridge Power Station
3. Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 186.

Further reading

• Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.

43°20′S 171°26′E