Little River (New Zealand)

The Little River is a tributary of Rakaia River, about 7 km long, in the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand's South Island. It rises on the 2185 m Mount Hutt and enters the Rakaia 314 m above sea level.

Little River is also the name of a short river, roughly 2 km, on Stewart Island, about a 2-hour walk from Oban.

Wairewa marae, a marae (tribal meeting ground) of Ngāi Tahu and its Wairewa Rūnanga branch, is located at Little River. It includes Te Mako wharenui (meeting house).

Power station
MainPower’s Cleardale power station, was built in 2010. It takes up to 450 l/second through a fibreglass penstock, 2.3 km up from, and 300 m above, the station, to drive a 1 mW pelton wheel. Power is generated at 400 volts and transformed to feed into Electricity Ashburton's 11 kV network. Some water from the tailrace is used to irrigate 208 ha, with the remainder returned to the river. The power station and penstock have been landscaped and are now barely visible.