It flows northwest from the Southern Alps for 22 kilometres (14 mi), entering the Tasman Sea at the northern end of Jackson Bay, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Haast.

New Zealand Energy operates an electricity distribution network supplying the town.

Electricity is generated by an 800-kilowatt hydroelectric scheme on the Turnbull River, constructed in 1972.

[1] In 2023, the company applied for consent to build a second hydro power station on the Turnbull River.

This article about a river in the West Coast Region of New Zealand is a stub.