Kaipara River facts for kids

The Kaipara River drains the area to the northwest of Auckland, New Zealand. It flows north from the northern foothills of the Waitākere Ranges, meandering past the town of Helensville. It is joined by the Kaukapakapa River in its lower tidal reaches shortly before entering the southern Kaipara Harbour. Other major tributaries are the Ararimu, Ahukuramu, Waimauku and Waipatukahu streams.

The Kaipara River was traditionally settled by the Te Taoū hapu of Ngāti Whātua around the lower catchment near present-day Helensville, and by Te Kawerau ā Maki in the upper sections near Kumeū. During European settlement in the latter 19th century, the course of the river was altered in order to better use the river to float timber for milling at Helensville.

The River is brown in colour as its waters are rich in sediments washed in from the soft Miocene to Quaternary sediments within its catchment.

Images for kids

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  The Kaipara River as it runs through Helensville