Little Grey River facts for kids

The Little Grey River, also called the Māwheraiti, is a river located in the West Coast Region of New Zealand. It is an important river that flows into the larger Grey River / Māwheranui. The two rivers meet near a town called Ikamatua.

Where Does the Little Grey River Start?

The Little Grey River begins in some low hills. These hills are found above the Inangahua valley. Its starting point is very close to another river, the Inangahua River, only about 1 kilometre away.

What Path Does the River Take?

From its source, the Little Grey River generally flows towards the southwest. It travels across two flat areas, the Maimai plain and the Ikamatua plain. As it flows, both State Highway 7 and the Stillwater–Ngakuwau Line railway follow along the lower part of its valley. They even cross the river two times!

River's Helper Streams

The Little Grey River has two main helper streams, which are called tributaries. These are the Blackwater River and the Snowy River. Both of these rivers join the Little Grey from the east.

Gold Mining History

For about 5 kilometres along the left side of the river, you can still see large piles of dirt and rocks. These are called tailings mounds. They were left behind from a special type of gold mining called gold dredging. This happened a long time ago, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

A Unique Event

In 1946, something very unusual happened because of gold dredging. A large machine called a dredge needed to move to a new mining area in the Blackwater Valley. To do this, it had to dig its way across both the main highway and the railway line! For a short time, both the road and the train tracks were closed. This was the first and only time such an event has ever happened in New Zealand.