Shotover River
The Shotover River is located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand.[1] The name correctly suggests that this 60 kilometre-long river is fast flowing, with numerous rapids. The river was named Shotover by the first European, William Gilbert Rees, to settle on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in 1860. He named it after his business partner, George Gamie's English estate, Shotover Park. The river had been previously called Tummel by two Scottish pioneers named Cameron and MacDonald who had passed through the area before Rees arrived. It was also referred to as the Overshot by the early goldminers, but it was the name Shotover that stuck,[2] (A better citation would be preferred here. You can help Wikipedia by providing one.)[3] The river flows generally south from the Southern Alps on its journey running through the Skippers Canyon, before draining into the Kawarau River east of Queenstown.
In July 1991 and June 1992 the river froze from bank-to-bank, near Skippers Canyon, and car-tyre sized blocks of ice disrupted tourist activities in July 2007.[4]
The Oxenbridge Tunnel at Arthurs Point is a 170 m (560 ft) tunnel that was part of a failed mining scheme by the Oxenbridge brothers, attempting to divert water from the river to recover gold from the riverbed. It was registered as a Category II Historic Place in 1985,[5] and is used by rafters and kayakers.
[edit] Tourist operations
Gold mining featured in its early history and it was one of the richest gold bearing rivers in the world. Beginning in 1862 when gold was first discovered on the river at Arthurs Point, the river has been panned, cradled, sluiced and dredged. Today small time gold seekers still work the river and two of its tributaries, Moke and Moonlight Creeks, for gold. Template:Gerald Cunningham - published Otago historian)[6] It is now a popular river for tourism.
The river is used for commercial white water rafting trips and jet boating rides which operate out of the nearby tourist resort of Queenstown. There is also a canyon swing site on the river a short distance upriver from Arthurs Point. Three jet boat operators have rights to use the river, as do two rafting companies. Much of the land that surrounds the Shotover River, upstream from Arthurs Point, is now foreign owned by Robert Lange, the former husband of singer Shania Twain.
[edit] References
- ^ "Place Name Detail: Shotover River". New Zealand Geographic Placenames Database. Land Information New Zealand. http://www.linz.govt.nz/placenames/find-names/topographic-names-db/database/index.aspx?p=3695. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- ^ Gerald Cunningham - published Otago historian
- ^ "Shotover in New Zealand". home.clara.net. 30 September 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5y8y2X5yd. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ Wolfe, Felicity (2 February 2009). "Shotover River may freeze, says forecaster". Otago Daily Times. http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/queenstown/41572/shotover-river-may-freeze-says-forecaster. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- ^ "Mining Tunnel". Register of Historic Places. New Zealand Historic Places Trust. http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=5607&m=advanced. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
- ^ Walrond, Carl. "Gold and gold mining - Shotover River". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/MineralResources/GoldAndGoldMining/2/ENZ-Resources/Standard/6/en. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 44°48′29″S 168°44′11″E / 44.807949°S 168.736278°E
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