Tokomairiro River

The average annual rainfall at Milton is 740 mm. The Tokomairiro Catchment has a long history of agricultural land use, in recent years (since the late 1990s) there as been a shift from sheep and beef farming to intensive dairy farming, especially on the Milton (Tokomairiro) Plain.

The mid and lower reaches of the Tokomairiro River are different from many other South Island east coast rivers because of their meandering pattern. Approximately 9km downstream of Milton, the river forms a wetland (Tokomairiro River swamp) and then flows out to sea at Toko Mouth.

The main recreational uses in the Tokomairiro River catchment are waterfowl shooting and angling. Anglers attracted to this resource tend to be local rather than from elsewhere in the Otago Region. Other recreational uses of Tokomairiro River itself include bird watching, swimming, picnicking, and boating in the estuary.Historical water quality monitoring of the Tokomairiro River has shown that water quality is degraded, particularly in its lower reaches.