History
The upper reaches of the river once abounded in flightless Moa, predated upon by the Haast's Eagle. The river was known by the Māori as Mata-au, meaning current or eddy in an expanse of water. This name, now more frequently rendered as Matau, is still used for one of the two main channels of the Clutha delta. In the early days of European exploration there was at least one settlement of some 250-300 Māori close to the river's banks. The river takes its European name from Cluaidh, the Scots Gaelic name for the River Clyde in Scotland which runs through Glasgow. During New Zealand's early colonial history it was known as the Molyneux, that name given to it by Captain Cook. During early European settlement, a whaling station was established close to the river's mouth, and during this period the sea was the source of almost all of the area's economy.
Read more about this topic: Clutha River
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“I believe my ardour for invention springs from his loins. I can’t say that the brassiere will ever take as great a place in history as the steamboat, but I did invent it.”
—Caresse Crosby (1892–1970)
“It’s a very delicate surgical operation—to cut out the heart without killing the patient. The history of our country, however, is a very tough old patient, and we’ll do the best we can.”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Sorel (Philip Merivale)
“All history becomes subjective; in other words there is properly no history, only biography.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)