Whanganui River Stories – River Ripplets

Local anecdotal tradition had always held that there was an unpublished manuscript by T.W. Downes and its loss resulted in the delay of 55 yours since Mr Downes wrote “1938” on the completed manuscript he had prepared for the printer. But one of the chief reasons is an intangible one.

For many years after the cessation of regular riverboat services on the river, the country and the city of Wanganui, lost interest in the Whanganui River. The river was there but it was ignored. Of recent years there has been a great growth of interest and appreciation of the Whanganui River and its traditions and possibilities.

This growth has rather coincided with the re-discovery of this neglected manuscript with its wealth of early river history.