Aratiatia Rapids

{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

Image:Aratiatia Rapids with opened spill gates.jpg

The Aratiatia Rapids are an area of New Zealand river rapids downstream from the dam for the Aratiatia Power Station on the Waikato River. The rapids are extremely dangerous.

Before construction of the dam and hydro station, the Aratiatia Rapids were a prominent feature on the Waikato River, and became a scenic reserve in 1906.{{Cite web|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/OurPicturesqueHeritaged.pdf|title=Our picturesque heritage: 100 years|last=|first=|date=2003|website=Department of Conservation|access-date=}} The dam construction meant that no water flowed over the rapids. However, several times a day, the Aratiatia dam gates are opened, which restores the rapids to their normal operation.{{cite web| url=http://www.greatlaketaupo.com/new-zealand/Aratiatiarapids/| title=About the Aratiatia Rapids| publisher=Destination Great Lake Taupo| access-date=25 December 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215014823/http://www.greatlaketaupo.com/new-zealand/Aratiatiarapids/| archive-date=15 December 2013| url-status=dead}}

There are three lookout points to watch the Dam release into the rapids, watching the release is a popular tourist attraction.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lovetaupo.com/en/operators/aratiatia-rapids/|title=Aratiatia Rapids|last=|first=|date=|website=Love Taupo|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}

In Māori, aratiatia means "stairway" or "ladder", possibly referring to the zigzag shape of the rapids, or possibly referring to the path (ara) of Tia, an explorer who travelled up the rapids against the current.Reed, A.W. (1975). Place names of New Zealand. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 16.