Burke River (New Zealand)

Burke River
Burke River
	Route of the Burke River
	Mouth of the Burke River Burke River (New Zealand) (New Zealand)
Etymology	Named after Robert O'Hara Burke
Location
Country	New Zealand
Region	West Coast Region
District	Westland
Protected area	Mount Aspiring National Park
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of Branch Creek and Hope Creek
• coordinates	44°02′36″S 169°13′09″E / 44.0434°S 169.2193°E
Mouth
• location	Haast River
• coordinates	44°01′32″S 169°21′43″E / 44.02555°S 169.36194°E
• elevation	95 m (312 ft)
Length	19 kilometres (12 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Burke River → Haast River → Tasman Sea
Tributaries
• left	Tumbling Water, Crazy Cataract, Gabble Brook, Cowan Creek, Expected Brook, Plover Stream, Brisk Water, The Twirligig, Yestev Creek, Strachan Creek, Bonny Stream
• right	Upper Creek, Clear Creek, Howe Creek, Detour Rivulet, Restless Torrent, Hidden Rivulet, Raving Torrent
Waterfalls	Churn Rapids

The Burke River is a river of New Zealand's South Island, located in Mount Aspiring National Park. It flows east for 19 kilometres (12 mi) from close to the Mueller Pass, reaching the Haast River 10 kilometres (6 mi) south of the Haast Pass.^[1]

The river was named by Julius von Haast when he searched for a crossing from Otago to the West Coast. It is named for Robert O'Hara Burke of the Burke and Wills expedition. The nearby Wills River is named for William John Wills.^[2]

References

^ "Place name detail: Burke River". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
^ Holm, Janet (2005). Caught mapping: the life and times of New Zealand's early surveyors. Christchurch: Hazard Press. p. 170. OCLC 636380050.