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]
| Wilberforce River | |
|---|---|
 | |
.png)  Location of the mouth within New Zealand | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Southern Alps |
| Mouth | |
• location | Rakaia River |
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 edit
Further reading edit
- 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 / 43.333°S 171.433°E