Waikato - the royal river

Silver ghost shrouded in mist, the river slips past ranks of low ridges north  of  Huntly. Revered by Maori, coveted by European, fought over in bloody battle, today's Waikato seems far from its former glory, its importance measured in megawatts and cubic metres per second. Yet the river-New Zealand's longest-retains. its mantle of greatness.