The Manawatū River is a major river of the lower North Island of New Zealand. The river flows from the Ruahine Ranges, through both the Manawatū Gorge and the city of Palmerston North, and across the Manawatū Plains to the Tasman Sea at Foxton. Name The river, along with the more northern Whanganui River, gives its name to the Manawatū-Whanganui region. The name of the river was given by the tohunga Haupipi-a-Nanaia, a descendant of Haunui-a-paparangi. Haupipi-a-Nanaia or Hau, travelled down the west coast in pursuit of his wife Wairaka, who had eloped. When Hau reached what is now known as the Manawatū River, he is said to have stopped and clutched his chest, horrified at the prospect of crossing so mighty an expanse of water. Therefore the river's name comes from the Māori words manawa (heart) and tū (stand still). In this context, when said together, the interpretation is ‘heart standing still’ to represent how Hau felt when he first saw the river. However cross he did, and a few kilometres south of Paekakariki, Hau overtook the fugitives and changed Wairaka into a rock. Geography The Manawatū River has its headwaters northwest of Norsewood in the Tararua District, on the eastern slopes of the Ruahine Range on the North Island of New Zealand. It flows initially eastward before turning south-west near Ormondville, flowing before turning north-west near Woodville. At this point it enters the Manawatu Gorge, between the Ruahine and Tararua Range's. Beyond the gorge it joins with the Pohangina River at Ashhurst and turns south-west, flowing through the city of Palmerston North. At this stage the river is still flowing swiftly and carrying gravel from the mountains. After Opiki, it slows and has a lower gradient, meandering over the Manawatu Plains; its bed at this point is mud and silty sand. In its meandering and frequent shifting of course it has created oxbow lakes, lagoons, and swamps. Sediment deposited along its course has created levees, higher than the surrounding plain; when the river is in flood it overflows these and creates wetlands. The Manawatū reaches the Tasman Sea at Foxton Beach, on the west coast of the North Island, creating the Manawatu Estuary. Major tributaries of the river include the Makakahi, Mangahao, Pohangina and Oroua Rivers. The Manawatū's total length is , making it only the 12th-longest in the country, but at it is one of New Zealand's