Matakitaki River

Taken from Horse Terrace Bridge. The colour is true. This is the river that they are proposing to dam to generate electricity. If they do, the bridge I took this from, which was built in 1923, will be under water. The area below where they plan to put their dam is one of the most kayaked (by white water kayakers) in the Southern Hemisphere. This will be lost, along with multiple acres of native bush and farm land, if the dam goes ahead.

You can't really tell from the photo just how deep this gorge is, and I can't remember the actual details but I can say that I was nervous leaning out over the edge to take photos. The roar of the water and the dizzing drop are pretty awesome.