The Manganui o te Ao River Catchment is a beautiful scenic river frequented by many recreational users in the summer months. The catchment includes several tributaries including Orautoha, Makino, Ruatiti Streams as well as the Makatote and Magaturuturu Rivers. The Manganui o te Ao has been identified as an outstanding habitat for whio (Blue Duck) and holds an abundance of fish, tuna and insects.  As well as bring identified as a significant fishery for brown and Rainbow Trout.

The area is frequented by a number of recreational users, from hunting and fishing, camping at the Ruatiti Domain, to passing through on the way to the Bridge to Nowhere on your mountain bike. It is a stunning catchment.

The catchment group was established in October 2023 where a large contingent of landowners came together with the common goal of looking after our waterways. With the establishment of routine water sampling and a strong social aspect the group is building good base water quality information from the catchment.