The Waipoua River has wound its way down the western side of the Upper Ruamāhanga River Valley for thousands of years. From its headwaters on the eastern flanks of the Tararua Ranges to the point where it meets the Ruamahanga River on the eastern side of what is now Masterton, the Waipoua was a stunning mosaic of endemic life forms within its waters, along its banks and flying across its channels.
Te Makakaweka
The stream before you is the Makakaweka, it crosses the Wairarapa and Mokonui fault lines and is home to tuna (longfin eel). The longfin eel has lived in New Zealand for 80 million years and is the biggest freshwater eel in the world. They live long lives, the oldest ever discovered was 106 years old. They are catadromous which means they spend their adult life in fresh water before swimming to the sea to breed and die. They like to spend daytime under banks, rocks and logs and they come out at night to feed on insect larvae, snails, fish, kōura, dead animals and birds.
Te Waipōkākā
The name Waipōkākā was found in old survey plans drawn in the 1860s and is possibly named after the Pōkākā tree (Elaeocarpus hookerianus). When you look at the stream map you can see the Waipōkākā, the Mangatepuku, the Makakaweka, and the Waimateatea all join to become the Mākoura. The Waipōkākā and the Mangatepuku meet each other at Douglas Park School where students have worked to clear and restore the stream.
Te Waiwaka
Possibly named after the Waiwaka plant this stream was later named Brewery Creek by Europeans, and was the site of Burridge's Eagle Brewery. The clear flowing waters were perfect for making beer, the only problem was that alcohol couldn't be sold in Masterton for 38 years.
Te Kurīpuni
The Kurīpuni awa emerges from the Masterton Fault inside Millenium Reserve to the west of this rakau. The reserve has a network of graded trails that are perfect for a walk where you can see native trees and hear lots of spirited Tuī singing.The Masterton Fault runs through town with a stepover in the reserve, the huge tectonic forces create a pull apart in the reserve making it the perfect place for lots of water to spring to the surface including the Kurīpuni awa.
Te Mākoura - Sussex Street
You can regularly see tuna from the bridge here. Streams like this were important to Mana Whenua for drinking, kai, and probably navigation to Wairarapa Moana and beyond because there were no roads here until 1854. Here at this bridge you are only about 110 metres above sea level, Whakaoriori Masterton lies in a flood prone basin and the Mākoura is the lowest point. The stream is the very feature that formed the basin over thousands of years before humans set foot here.
Te Mākoura - Garland's Bush
The Mākoura is 42km long from its beginning to here in Garland's Bush, along the way it gathers the waters of the Makakaweka, Waipōkākā, Wamateatea, Mangatepuki, and Awatakouru. The awa combine at a muriwai at the east end of Renall Street to become the Mākoura that flows on to join the Ruamāhanga.
Te Mangaakuta
This is the remaining vestiges of the Mangaakuta stream which was significant for Māori and had its mana diminished by European settlers who referred to it as the 'Town Drain'. We know from a Wairarapa Times Age report that it was still flowing in 1939 but most of the path of this manga is now a deep dry depression.
