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For the Māori tribes of the Whanganui River, the river was vitally important for transport, food and spiritual wellbeing. Māori caught eels by building ingenious eel weirs in the river - but these structures were removed by European settlers to allow access for steamboats. Boat trips up the river became popular with tourists in the late 19th century. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number TCDR5112).