PS Waimarie is now a popular tourist attraction in Whanganui, with 2 hour cruises on the river available most days during the summer season.

This paddle steamer was ordered by the Wanganui Settlers' River Steamship Co, and built as a kitset by Yarrow shipbuilders in London in 1899.

On 29 June, she took a party of about 100 people 61 kilometres (38 mi) upstream to a meeting at Koriniti on a trial run, and commenced regular services to Pipiriki three weeks later.

Hatrick had a well-established business on the river, and had been carrying large numbers of passengers to Pipiriki, on a tourist route promoted as "The Rhine of Maoriland" into the interior of New Zealand.

[3][1] The Waimarie operated a regular service on the 88 kilometres (55 mi) route between Wanganui and Pipiriki for 49 years, carrying cargo, mail and passengers.

[2] On 14 February 1990, a public meeting was held with 90 people attending, to promote the salvage and restoration of PS Waimarie.

[6] An important initial step was securing the use of the near-derelict Wanganui Rowing Club building as a workshop where the vessel could be restored.

[10] In August 2021, the Waimarie Operating Trust announced that they were contributing to an environmental restoration project in association with the Pungarehu Marae to plant trees and harakeke (flax) near the marae and the banks of the Whanganui River as a means of offsetting the carbon emissions of PS Waimarie.