Southland

Waiau River

Southland·Fiordland·45.79° S, 167.63° E

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About Waiau River

The Waiau is Southland's biggest river, and Fish & Game Southland calls it two rivers. Both halves are run by the Manapōuri power scheme. The upper Waiau carries Lake Te Anau's outflow from the control gates at Te Anau to Lake Manapōuri. It is deep, clear and crowded with trout: a Fish & Game drift dive counted about 350 good-sized trout a kilometre, with patches of up to 600, mostly rainbows with some browns. Below Lake Manapōuri almost all the water now goes west through the power station to Doubtful Sound, and the lower river below the Mararoa Weir lives on what Meridian must release. That is a consented minimum of 12 to 16 m³/s, set by season, after a cut of about 95 percent from the river's natural flow. Rainbows still dominate the catch there, mostly around 1 kg with some to 4.5 kg (10 lb), and below Tuatapere sea-run browns come in, along with quinnat salmon from November to March.

The two halves fish nothing alike. The upper Waiau is big, deep water you fish from a boat or from a few bank spots at the control gates, Queens Reach, Rainbow Reach and the Balloon Loop. Its trout rise freely, so carry sedge and mayfly dries for when they are on top. The lower river is a smaller, wadeable river most of the season. Fly fishing is best in the evenings from December on, and the water just below the weir is the favourite spot. Below Monowai the river widens to as much as 100 m, one of the few places you can fish from a boat without crowding bank anglers. A 5 to 7 weight rod covers it, with nymphs such as a Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear or Hare and Copper, dries from a Dad's Favourite to a Twilight Beauty for the evening rise, and a Mrs Simpson or rabbit pattern for the bigger fish.

People, not just rain, set the flows here, and that shapes every trip. The upper river reflects how much water Meridian lets out of Lake Te Anau. Its consent sets a minimum of 115 m³/s at the control gates, but in a drought the company can cut below it with approval. On the lower river, flood water from the Mararoa or a spill from Lake Manapōuri can lift and colour the river, and on the fourth Sunday of each month from October to April, Meridian's consent has required a 24-hour release of at least 35 m³/s for jet boating. The consent also calls for flushing flows to scour didymo, but the Guardians of Lakes Manapōuri, Monowai and Te Anau report that low lake levels mean these rarely happen, and didymo is established in the upper river and the lakes. Much of the lower river crosses farmland, so ask before you cross. Meridian's consents run to 2031, and Environment Southland's work on the Waiau catchment may change the flow regime before then.

Species

Rainbow Trout
Primary · Dec-Mar · 35-55 cm, some to 70 cm
Wild, and the most common trout in both halves of the river. Most run about 1 kg (2.2 lb), with some to 4.5 kg (10 lb). They rise well on summer evenings below the Mararoa Weir.
Brown Trout
Common · Oct-May · 40-60 cm, some to 70 cm
Wild, and present through the whole river, though fewer than the rainbows in most catches. Larger fish to about 4.5 kg (10 lb) turn up on the lower river.
Sea Run Brown Trout
Present · Year-round below Tuatapere · Varies
Sea-run browns come into the river below the Tuatapere bridge, the one stretch of the Waiau open all year for trout. Small baitfish patterns early and late in the day are the usual approach in the lower river and lagoon.
Chinook Salmon
Occasional · Nov-Mar · Varies
Quinnat (chinook) salmon from the sea. The Waiau is the one Southland river where you can target them, from November to March. Southland allows 1 salmon a day and closes salmon fishing in every river in April and May.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Rainbow Trout	Primary	Dec-Mar	35-55 cm, some to 70 cm
Brown Trout	Common	Oct-May	40-60 cm, some to 70 cm
Sea Run Brown Trout	Present	Year-round below Tuatapere	Varies
Chinook Salmon	Occasional	Nov-Mar	Varies

Sections

4 reaches

Upper Waiau (Te Anau to Lake Manapōuri)

Wade & FloatBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The river between the lakes, from the Te Anau control gates past Yerex, Queens, Rainbow and Boulder reaches and the Balloon Loop to Lake Manapōuri. It is deep, clear and powerful, and its flow is the outflow of Lake Te Anau as Meridian sets it at the control gates. A Fish & Game drift dive counted about 350 good-sized trout a kilometre, with patches of up to 600. Much of it can only be reached by boat. Shore anglers use the control gates (the Kepler Track start), the Queens Reach boat ramp, the Rainbow Reach bridge and car park, and the Balloon Loop. Fallen trees clutter the water above Lake Manapōuri, and jet boats use the river.

Best for: Rainbow trout, with some brown trout, rising to sedge and mayfly patterns, and drifting from a boat where the banks are out of reach.

Mararoa Weir to Monowai

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The lower river starts at the Manapōuri Lake Control structure, which most anglers call the Mararoa Weir. Most of the lakes' water goes west through the power station, so this reach lives on a consented minimum flow of 12 to 16 m³/s, with more only when Meridian spills or makes a release. Fly fishing is best in the evenings from December on, and the water just below the weir is the favourite spot for it. The area inside the side walls below the main control gates is closed to fishing. Weir Road reaches the structure, Blackmount Redcliff Road runs down the valley, and much of the river is on private land, so ask before you cross.

Best for: Evening dry-fly fishing for rainbow trout and brown trout below the weir, and nymphing the runs on low summer flows.

Monowai to Tuatapere

Wade & FloatBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Below the Monowai River, which brings in the outflow of Lake Monowai, the Waiau grows to as much as 100 m wide. It then picks up the Wairaki, the Lill Burn and the Orauea on its way past Clifden to Tuatapere. It is one of the few stretches where you can fish from a boat without getting in the way of bank anglers, and jet boats run between Tuatapere and Monowai. Access is at the Monowai suspension bridge, the Clifden bridge and the Tuatapere bridge, and most of the banks in between are farmland. In December 2018, Environment Southland found toxic benthic cyanobacteria near Tuatapere in low, warm summer water.

Best for: Rainbow trout and brown trout on nymphs and streamers, with room to fish big water from a boat.

Tuatapere to the Sea

Wade & FloatSalmon · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The last 8 km or so from the Tuatapere bridge to the lagoon behind the gravel bar on Te Waewae Bay. This is the only part of the Waiau open all year for trout, and it is where sea-run fish come in. The Waiau is also the one Southland river where you can target quinnat salmon, from November to March. Salmon fishing in any Southland river is closed in April and May. There is a boat ramp upstream of the Tuatapere bridge. The river is wide and swift here, so wade with care.

Best for: Sea-run brown trout and resident browns on small baitfish patterns and streamers, with a chance at a quinnat salmon in summer.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 12–30 m³/s
Blow-out: >60 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 10–17°C

Best seasons

These numbers describe the lower river, read at the flow site just below the Mararoa Weir (listed as Manapōuri Structure Tailwater). No gauge feeds this page yet. For most of the season the lower Waiau sits on Meridian's consented minimum of 12 to 16 m³/s (424 to 565 cfs), its normal, wadeable state. The stored window, about 12 to 30 m³/s (424 to 1,059 cfs) for wading and above about 60 m³/s (2,119 cfs) as blown out, is a rough guess from that flow regime, not a rating any gauge publishes. On the fourth Sunday of each month from October to April, Meridian's consent has required a 24-hour release of at least 35 m³/s (1,236 cfs), which brings jet boats up to the weir. Flood water from the Mararoa or a spill from the lake passes down the lower river, so it can rise and colour after heavy rain. The Monowai River and other tributaries add water lower down, so the river at Sunnyside and Tuatapere runs bigger than below the weir. Fly fishing is best on summer evenings from December on. The upper Waiau is a different river: it carries Lake Te Anau's outflow, kept at or above a consented 115 m³/s (4,061 cfs) at the control gates except in drought, so you fish it from a boat or from the few bank access points. Trout feed best at about 10 to 17 °C (50 to 63 °F).

Regulations

The upper Waiau between the lakes, and the lower river from the Mararoa Weir to Tuatapere, are open 1 October to 31 May. From Tuatapere to the sea, including the Waiau Lagoon, the river is open all year. Fly, spinner and bait are allowed throughout, with a daily bag of 2 trout and no more than 1 salmon. The water inside the side walls of the weir below its main gates is closed.

Waiau River between Lakes Te Anau and Manapōuri: open 1 October to 31 May, artificial fly, spinner and bait, daily bag 2 trout (Southland Notes 1, 2 and 4).
Waiau River from the downstream extent of the Manapōuri Lake Control structure (the Mararoa Weir) to Tuatapere: open 1 October to 31 May, fly, spinner and bait, 2 trout (Notes 1, 2 and 4).
Waiau River from Tuatapere to the sea, including the Waiau Lagoon: open all year, fly, spinner and bait, 2 trout (Notes 1, 2 and 4).
Closed all year: the area enclosed by the side walls of the Manapōuri Lake Control structure (Mararoa Weir) downstream of the main control gates.
Lake Manapōuri, including the Waiau Arm between the lake and the control structure, is open all year, 2 trout a day. The Waiau's tributaries from the Mararoa Weir to the sea are open 1 October to 30 April.
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. That leaves salmon fishing open October to March on the upper reaches, and June to March below Tuatapere.
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.

The Waiau rows do not cite Note 6, the Southland ban on fishing from a boat that applies on the Eglinton, so you may fish the Waiau from a boat. Didymo is established in the upper Waiau and Lake Manapōuri. DOC leaves the upper Waiau out of the Fiordland Rivers Sports Fishing Control Area, so no Clean Gear Certificate is needed. Much of the lower river crosses private farmland: ask 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 and Tuatapere, Southland

The control gates at the start of the Kepler Track are about 4 km from Te Anau, and Queens Reach and Rainbow Reach are off SH95 on the way to Manapōuri, 21 km south of Te Anau. Weir Road leads to the Mararoa Weir from the Manapōuri side, and Blackmount Redcliff Road, then Clifden Blackmount Road, follow the lower valley south past Monowai to Clifden. Te Anau is 171 km from Queenstown and 155 km from Invercargill.

Camping: Te Anau and Manapōuri have holiday parks, motels and lodges. DOC has a basic campsite beside Lake Monowai at the end of Lake Monowai Road. Tuatapere has motel and backpacker beds.

Upper river: shore access at the control gates (the Kepler Track start, with foot access to the riverbed), the Queens Reach boat ramp, the Rainbow Reach bridge and car park, and the Balloon Loop. Most of the upper river is reached only by boat, and jet boats use it. Lower river: the river often strays from the road, and much of it is private farmland, so ask the landowner first. Public access points include the Monowai suspension bridge, the Clifden bridge and the Tuatapere bridge, 300 m before the town, with a boat ramp just upstream. The lower river is wide and swift near Tuatapere.

Waiau River

Southland·Fiordland·45.79° S, 167.63° E

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Flow

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Water temp

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Normal range

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Weather

16°C

Light Rain