Wanganui River from the Waimarie paddle steamer

Because of how brown the waters of the Wanganui river are most days, the local joke is that the river flows upside-down. The muddy waters result from the large amount of silt the river carries from the soft "papa" rock in the hill country that the river drains. The Wanganui is the second longest river in New Zealand and its upper reaches are designated as Whanganui National Park. The river was a major thoroughfare for both the local Maori tribes and the early white settlers to New Zealand.