Southland

Mararoa River

Southland·Fiordland·45.43° S, 168.07° E

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About Mararoa River

The Mararoa is three rivers in one. It rises in the Livingstone and Thomson mountains, runs as a small, clear tussock stream into North Mavora Lake, links the two Mavora Lakes, and then leaves South Mavora as a fast, medium-sized river that runs south through high country and farmland to meet the Waiau at the Mararoa Weir near Lake Manapōuri. Rainbows dominate the water near the lakes, browns take over toward State Highway 94 at The Key, and most fish run 1 to 3 kg. The top of the valley sits in the Mavora Lakes Conservation Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area.

Each part fishes differently. Above North Mavora it is small, clear sight-fishing water over easy gravel, where fish average about 1.5 kg and get bigger and fewer as you walk up. Use long leaders and slim, lightly weighted nymphs such as a Pheasant Tail or Dad's Favourite. Below South Mavora the river runs quickly through long runs over a rocky bed, and the lake keeps it fairly clear after rain. Mayfly emergers and dries such as a Blue Dun or Kakahi Queen work through the season, with bushy dries, cicadas and blowflies in summer. Some of the biggest browns sit on the drop-offs and need a deep nymph, which didymo on the bed makes harder. Below The Key the river carries more colour between willow and gorse, the fish are hard to spot, and heavier flies or a streamer do the work. A 9 ft rod for a 6 or 7 weight line covers all of it.

The Mararoa is open 1 October to 30 April, while the Mavora Lakes stay open all year, so the lakes are your fallback outside the river season or when it runs high. Mavora Lakes Road leaves SH94 between Mossburn and Te Anau, at Centre Hill or Burwood Station, and runs 39 km on gravel to the lakes, beside the river for much of the way. DOC's campsite at the lakes is busy in summer and must be booked. Below SH94 most of the banks are farmland, so ask the landowner before you cross. A northerly can sweep down the valley and make casting hard. Didymo is in the river and both lakes, so check, clean and dry everything before you move to another water.

Species

Rainbow Trout
Primary · Oct-Apr · 40-60 cm
Wild. The main fish in the river just below the Mavora Lakes. Most run 1 to 3 kg (2 to 7 lb), and fish above North Mavora average about 1.5 kg.
Brown Trout
Primary · Oct-Apr · 40-60 cm
Wild. They become the main fish toward SH94 and dominate the lower river below The Key. Most run 1 to 3 kg (2 to 7 lb). Some of the biggest hold on the drop-offs and need a deep nymph.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Rainbow Trout	Primary	Oct-Apr	40-60 cm
Brown Trout	Primary	Oct-Apr	40-60 cm

Sections

3 reaches

Above North Mavora Lake

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

A small, very clear river that comes out of tarns in the Livingstone Mountains and winds through an open tussock valley above North Mavora Lake. The gravel beds wade easily, the fish are easy to see, and they get bigger and fewer the farther upstream you walk. Snowmelt can colour it early in the season. A 4WD track runs up the east side of North Mavora Lake to Careys Hut and reaches the river about 1 km above the lake. It has a locked gate, so 4WD and motorbike users register with DOC for the access code. The track on to Boundary Hut is very rough and DOC does not recommend it for vehicles.

Best for: Sight fishing to brown trout and rainbow trout averaging about 1.5 kg, with long leaders and small, lightly weighted nymphs.

South Mavora to The Key

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Below South Mavora Lake the Mararoa becomes a bigger river, running fast over a rocky bed in long runs down to the State Highway 94 bridge at The Key. Draining a lake, it stays fairly clear after rain. You can cross it in places in the dry months, but bankside scrub makes casting hard and the northerly wind can make it miserable. Rainbows dominate near the lakes and browns take over toward the highway, mostly 1 to 3 kg. Mavora Lakes Road runs beside the river for most of the way, and a DOC track follows the true right bank from the South Mavora outlet swing bridge to the Kiwi Burn. The short, deep stretch between the two lakes holds rising fish but is hard to reach and to cover.

Best for: Nymphing and dry-fly fishing the long runs for rainbow trout near the lake and brown trout lower down, with heavier nymphs where the water drops off.

The Key to the Mararoa Weir

WadeBrown Trout

The lower river runs faster between willow and gorse banks, picks up the Whitestone River and ends at the Mararoa Weir, where it meets the Waiau. More colour and stronger current make the fish much harder to spot, and it fishes badly when the river is up. It is at its best late in the season after a dry spell. The SH94 bridge is the public access point. Most of the rest crosses farmland, so ask the landowner first. The Mararoa is listed as an Important Bird Area for breeding black-billed gulls, so give any colony on the gravel a wide berth in spring.

Best for: Brown trout, the main fish here at 1 to 3 kg, on weighted nymphs and streamers in the faster water.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 6–20 m³/s
Blow-out: >45 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 10–17°C

Best seasons

No gauge feeds this page yet, so read the river by eye. Environment Southland runs a flow site on the river called Mararoa at The Cliffs. Packrafters use it and call the river very bony at about 9 m³/s and good boating at 20 to 35 m³/s. The flow numbers stored here are a rough guess from those notes, not a rating any gauge publishes: about 6 to 20 m³/s (212 to 706 cfs) as wading water, and above about 45 m³/s (1,589 cfs) as too high to fish. In practice: below South Mavora the lake keeps the river fairly clear, so if you can cross the tailouts at knee depth it is fishable. Below The Key the river carries more colour and fishes poorly when it is up, so save it for a dry spell late in the season, in March and April. Early-season snowmelt can colour the river above North Mavora. Summer brings cicada and blowfly dries. Trout feed best at about 10 to 17 °C (50 to 63 °F).

Regulations

The Mararoa is open 1 October to 30 April for fly, spinner and bait, with a daily bag of 2 trout. The North and South Mavora lakes it flows through are open all year.

Mararoa River: open 1 October to 30 April, artificial fly, spinner and bait, daily bag 2 trout (Southland Notes 1, 2 and 4). The row names no reach, so it covers the whole river, above, between and below the Mavora Lakes.
North and South Mavora lakes: open all year, fly, spinner and bait, 2 trout a day.
Note 5: no fishing from any motorised boat, electric motors included, on South Mavora Lake.
Note 1: no more than 1 salmon and no more than 4 sports fish a day in all (perch excepted), and Southland sets no minimum or maximum length for sports fish. Coarse fishing is prohibited in the region.
Note 2: no salmon may be taken from any river in April and May.
National rules: felt-soled waders and footwear are banned when sports fishing, and you may use only 1 rod and no more than 3 flies or spinners.
You need a Fish & Game sports fishing licence, which covers all of New Zealand except the Taupō fishery, and you must carry it while fishing.

DOC's Mavora Lakes brochure says only artificial baits are allowed in the river and lakes. The 2026–27 Southland regulations allow fly, spinner and bait on both, and the regulations are the rule. Didymo is in the Mararoa and both lakes. Below SH94 most of the banks are farmland, so ask the landowner before you cross.

Source: Fish & Game New Zealand, Southland region: Sports Fishing Regulations 2026–27. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Te Anau, Southland

Mavora Lakes Road leaves SH94 between Mossburn and Te Anau (turn at Centre Hill or Burwood Station) and runs 39 km on unsealed road to the lakes. The SH94 bridge at The Key is on the highway between Te Anau and Mossburn. Te Anau is 171 km from Queenstown and 155 km from Invercargill.

Camping: DOC's Mavora Lakes Campsite has two standard camping areas, one beside South Mavora Lake and one between the lakes. Book online. There are no rubbish bins, and DOC asks you to bring your own firewood. Careys Hut at the head of North Mavora Lake is a standard DOC hut that needs a hut ticket or an Annual Backcountry Hut Pass. Te Anau has every kind of lodging.

Mavora Lakes Road runs beside the middle river for most of its length. From the South Mavora outlet swing bridge, a DOC track follows the true right bank for about 2 hr 30 min to meet a track from Mavora Lakes Road near the Kiwi Burn swing bridge. Above North Mavora, a 4WD track on the east shore reaches Careys Hut and the river about 1 km above the lake. It has a locked gate, and 4WD and motorbike users must register with DOC for the code. Below SH94 most of the river crosses private farmland: ask permission. No dogs in DOC huts, and dogs must be on a leash at the campsites.

Mararoa River

Southland·Fiordland·45.43° S, 168.07° E

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Flow

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Water temp

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Normal range

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Weather

13°C

Heavy Rain