The Waikouaiti River is the third largest catchment in Otago with the north and south branches converging approximately 8 km upstream of its confluence with the Pacific Ocean at Karitane. The lower 5 km of the river are tidal.br/br/The seaside settlement of Karitane is about 35 kilometres north of Dunedin city, beside an estuary and beaches by the mouth of the Waikouaiti River. Close to the settlement is the site of Huriawa Pā, which was a major fortification in pre-European New Zealand set in a strong position on a rocky promontory above the coast. The site of the present settlement of Karitane includes that of the pre-European Māori kaik, or undefended village. It also encompasses Huriawa on the adjacent peninsula, a Pa or fortified village, recalled in oral tradition for sieges in the late 17th or early 18th centuries. It is also the site of the historic Waikouaiti whaling station (1837).