Rakaia, Salmon River - Roadside Stories

A Manatū Taonga audio guide to the Rakaia River and its salmon stock. Check out the Ministry for Culture and Heritage's audio guide in the image carousel above.

New Zealand's longest bridge -- almost 1.8 kilometres -- spans the Rakaia River. A typical South Island braided river, the Rakaia was once a route for Māori heading to the West Coast in search of prized greenstone. Chinook salmon were released in the river in the early 1900s. New Zealand is the only place in the world where they have become established outside their native habitat.

Mid-Canterbury plains,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/canterbury-places/17

Rivers,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/rivers

The Rakaia River,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/floods/1/2

Chinook salmon,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/trout-and-salmon/3

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Roadside Stories are a series of audio guides to places of interest on major road trips in New Zealand. Each guide tells the story of an attraction along the way -- its people, its history, its cultural and natural significance. For more information about Roadside Stories visit http://www.mch.govt.nz/roadside/