Rakaia, salmon river

Published: Aug. 30, 2011, 5 a.m.

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.