Whanganui River Scenic Route

The Wanganui/Whanganui story is one of interaction, sometimes cooperative, sometimes warlike, between Maori and Pakeha as the Pakeha push for economic development conflicted with the Maori sense of place. A trip along the Whanganui River road provides some small insights to this story.

While the intrepid may wish to take a few days and experience the Whanganui River by canoe, a riverside road along the lower 80 km provides an experience for car travellers. This route can form a round trip from the town of Wanganui or it can be the way to reach Wanganui from the Tongariro National Park. The round trip is to travel up the river to Pipiriki, then take the road through Raetihi to meet SH 4 and return to Wanganui. If you are travelling from the centre of the Island (Tongariro National Park) take the road from Raetihi to Pipiriki and then travel down the river. The river road is narrow, winding and unsealed for much of the way. With stops for sightseeing and refreshment you should allow 4 to 5 hours for the Raetihi-Pipiriki–Wanganui section. If you don’t have a car or simply want an alternative means of travel, you can join the mail run.

New Zealand’s longest navigable river starts near Mount Tongariro. Much of its winding journey to the sea near Wanganui (the town) is through the Whanganui National Park. By the time the river was opened up for navigation by Pakeha over 3000 Maori lived along the river banks - they were considered a great tourist attraction on “The Rhine of New Zealand”. The development of the river is largely attributed to one person, Alexander Hatrick, who started the first regular steamer service in 1892 and by 1903 had services running right through to Taumarunui, where they would eventually connect with the rail services and with coaches to Rotorua. At the height of the riverboat service there were twelve steamers and motor vessels, as well as motorised canoes for use in times of very low water levels. The main riverboat trade ceased in the 1920s, owing to the development of better roads, a main trunk railway and other tourist attractions, although riverboats were still operating in the late 1950s. Maori Concerns River navigation has been restricted (a source of grievance to Maori) as water flows were reduced in the 1970s by the diversion of headwaters for use in the hydro power stations on the Waikato River, though the extent of the diversion has since been reduced, following a Planning Tribunal decision. Maori efforts to assert their rangatiratanga over the river have recently been reported on by the Waitangi Tribunal and are now (2003) the subject of negotiations between iwi and the Crown.