Claim: Waimakariri River—briefly renamed as Courtenay River in 1849, but was disused as a way to favor the traditional Mäori name—is a river that is located in Canterbury, New Zealand near Kaiapoi which has a 151 kilometers distance and an elevation of 1,535 meters.
Evidence: The river was briefly renamed as the Courtenay River in 1849 by the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, in honour of Lord Courtenay. However, this name quickly fell into disuse in favour of the traditional Māori name. The Waimakariri River is one of the largest rivers in Canterbury, on the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It enters the Pacific north of Christchurch, near the town of Kaiapoi. It flows for 151 kilometres (94 mi) in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean. 1,535 m (5,036 ft)