Bowyers Stream
| Bowyers Stream | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Route of Bowyers Stream | |
.png?lang=en)  Bowyers Stream  Bowyers Stream (South Island) | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Mount Somers / Te Kiekie |
| • coordinates | 43°37′05″S 171°22′33″E / 43.617996°S 171.375904°E |
| • elevation | 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Ashburton River South Branch / Hakatere |
• coordinates | 43°44′19″S 171°32′12″E / 43.738614°S 171.536665°E |
• elevation | 245 metres (804 ft) |
| Basin size | 23.2 km2 (9.0 sq mi)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Bowyers Stream → Ashburton River South Branch / Hakatere → Ashburton River / Hakatere → Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Taylors Stream |
| • right | Caves Stream, Stevenson Stream |
| Waterfalls | Sharplin Falls |
Bowyers Stream is located in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand.[2][note 1]
The upper reaches of the stream drain the northern face of Mount Somers / Te Kiekie and the southern face of Mount Winterslow in the foothills of the Southern Alps.[4] Sharplin Falls is located in Bowyers Stream in a deep gully beneath the fault scarp between Mount Somers / Te Kiekie and Mount Winterslow, near the small settlement of Staveley.[5] The stream joins the south branch of the Ashburton River / Hakatere, at Annandale, west of Ashburton Forks.[4]
The stream has been a contributor to severe flooding in the Staveley region.[6]
Introduced trout were reported as being plentiful in Bowyers Stream in 1899.[7] In 1930, around 10,000 brown trout fry were released into the stream by the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society,[8] with a further 50,000 trout fry released in 1933,[9] and 60,000 more in 1942.[10] Bowyers Stream has become an important tributary of the Ashburton River for trout and salmon spawning. In 2017, Environment Canterbury undertook flood-control works along a stretch of 11 km (6.8 mi) in the bed of the river. The Central South Island Fish and Game Council commenced a prosecution of Environment Canterbury under the Conservation Act for disturbance to the spawning grounds of freshwater fish. The parties reached agreement in 2019 and the prosecution did not continue.[11] In September 2019, there were concerns from landowners about the build-up of gravel in the stream bed, with calls for the stream bed to be lowered to reduce flooding risk.[12]
The Rangitata Diversion Race passes beneath the bed of Bowyers Stream in a siphon, around 1.5 km (0.93 mi) south of Staveley.[13]
The Bowyers Stream Reserve is a freedom camping site located where the Inland Scenic Route crosses Bowyers Stream around 3.4 km (2.1 mi) south of Staveley.[14]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Carter, Glenn; Duncan, Maurice; Briggs, Barry (April 1998). Numerical hydrodynamic modelling of mountain streams for assessing instream habitat. ISBN 978-1-901502-45-9.
- ^ "Bowyers Stream". New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Supreme Court - Civil sittings". Lyttelton Times. Vol. XXXII, no. 2786. 10 December 1869. p. 2 – via Papers Past.
- ^ a b "Bowyers Stream". nztopomap.co.nz. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Will the real Sharplin Falls please stand up?". The Press. 23 October 1984. p. 13 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Floods in Canterbury - a heavy rainfall". Lyttelton Times. Vol. CVII, no. 12767. 25 March 1902. p. 5 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Town and Country". Lyttelton Times. Vol. CII, no. 12010. 30 September 1899. p. 7 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "20,000 trout fry". Ashburton Guardian. Vol. 50, no. 270. 28 August 1930. p. 4 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "With rod and gun". Ashburton Guardian. Vol. 54, no. 43. 30 November 1933. p. 6 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Local and General". Ashburton Guardian. Vol. 62, no. 187. 22 May 1942. p. 2 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Cosgrove, Richie (10 September 2019). "Fish & Game and Environment Canterbury reach settlement over Bowyers Stream prosecution". Fish and Game New Zealand. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Call to clear out gravel from stream". Star News. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2025 – via Otago Daily Times.
- ^ "Siphon on Rangitata Diversion Race". nztopomap.co.nz. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Bowyers Stream Freedom Camping Site". Experience Mid Canterbury. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Bowyers Stream at Wikimedia Commons