The Riuwaka Resurgence

Where Takaka Hill Highway (State Highway 60) starts its climb up over Takaka Hill, the Riwaka Valley Road turns off to the left. At the very end of that road, there’s a carpark and a short walkway that goes up alongside the Riuwaka River to the Riuwaka Resurgence. The river starts under Takaka Hill, flowing through limestone caves before its pure, filtered waters emerge out into the open, at the Resurgence. The first part of the river is made up of a series of clear pools flowing down the valley. As for Riwaka versus Riuwaka, “Riwaka” is a spelling mistake, the correct spelling is “Riuwaka”, which has been the river’s official name since 2014. The name refers to the pools that emerge from under the mountain.