Haast River

The Haast River has its terminus on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

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The grassy flats on the lower reaches are grazed by cattle by the local farmers. Tourism operators offer jetboat tours on the river.

The river often has glacial silt in suspension in the water from glaciers in the Southern Alps. The majority of the surrounding land is publicly owned and administered by the Department of Conservation. It is set within the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.

State Highway 6 follows virtually the complete length of the river, with a bridge near the coast, just after the turnoff to the Haast township. At 737m it is the longest one-lane road bridge in New Zealand, and the 7th longest New Zealand bridge overall. [cite web
url=http://www.transit.govt.nz/about/faqs.jsp
title=Transit New Zealand Frequently Asked Questions
accessdate=2008-09-23]

The river is named after Julius von Haast.

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