Waiapu River

The Waiapu River is a river of the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Flowing from the Raukumara Range, it passes through Ruatoria before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Rangitukia. The river lies within the rohe of the Ngati Porou iwi.

The Waiapu River is a river of the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand . Flowing from the Ruakumara Range, it passes through Ruatoria before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Rangitukia. The river lies within the rohe of the Ngati Porou iwi

The Raukumara Range lies north of Gisborne, near East Cape in New Zealand's North Island. It forms part of the North Island's main mountain chain, which runs north-northeast from Wellington to East Cape, and is composed primarily of greywacke, argillites, siltstones and sandstones [citation needed] . . The North Island's highest non-volcanic peak, Mount Hikurangi, is part of this range.

The peak is traditionally regarded as the first land in the world to catch the rays of the new day's sun, although this claim, like any such claim of its type, is open to interpretation. Certainly it is not true at any time of the year other than summer, as both Fiji and Tonga are to the east. In summer, however, because of the tilt of the Earth's axis, it does receive the sun's rays earlier than these places. It does not receive them earlier than the Chatham Islands (or, of course, Antarctica), however, and in mid-summer, some of the hills of the southeastern South Island receive the sun fractionally earlier. This did not stop the mountain gaining world prominence in the celebrations for the new Millennium, however.