The Aparima has its headwaters in the
Takitimu Mountains, south of
Lake Te Anau, and flows south for before entering
Foveaux Strait near
Riverton at the north end of
Oreti Beach. A Māori man lived at the mouth of the river who was called Jacob by local whalers, and 'Jacob's River' was in early use for both the river and the settlement that established itself. It is one of the rivers responsible for the large
alluvial plain known as the
Southland Plains. It has been identified as an
Important Bird Area by
BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the
endangered black-billed gull. ==References==