Notable tourist attractions near the chapter locations are myriad. The Waitawheta River is in a Forest Park and near the Coromandel Peninsula, an area known for remote beaches and kauri forest. The mouth of the river enters an old gold mining area in the Ohinemuri Gorge where there are a museum and mining relics. The Ruakituri River is near Lake Waikaremoana in the wild and remote Urewera Mountains. The Waipunga River flows from near Lake Taupo into one of New Zealand's most noted wilderness rivers, the Mohaka.
River is a protected waterway due to the presence of the endangered Blue Mountain Duck.
The river starts in the Tongariro National Park, high on the slopes of the ski mountain, Mt Ruapehu. The Wangapeka River is followed by the Wangapeka Track in the rugged Kahurangi National Park in north west Nelson. The track follows the river to its source, traverses the Southern Alps and ends on the West Coast, south of Karamea. The Travers River for its whole length is followed by one of the most popular walking tracks in all of the Nelson Lakes National Park. The track starts at the head of Lake Rotoiti which is one hour's drive from the Marlborough wineries.