Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bike Shed
( 06-345 5500;
www.bikeshed.co.nz
; cnr Ridgway & St Hill Sts; 8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm
Sat)
Hires out bikes from $35 per day, including helmet and lock. Also a good spot for info
on the Mountains to Sea (
Click here
)
bike trail from Mt Ruapehu to Whanganui, which is
BUS
Horizons
(
www.horizons.govt.nz
;
tickets adult/child $2.50/1.50)
Operates four looped council-run bus
routes departing Trafalgar Square shopping centre on Taupo Quay, including orange and
purple routes past the Whanganui River Top 10 Holiday Park in Aramoho.
TAXI
Rivercity Cabs
(
06-345 3333, 0800 345 3333;
www.wanganui.bluebubbletaxi.co.nz
)
TOP OF CHAPTER
Whanganui National Park
The Whanganui River - the lifeblood of Whanganui National Park - curls 290km from its
source on Mt Tongariro to the Tasman Sea. It's the longest navigable river in NZ, and
today conveys canoes, kayaks and jetboats, its waters shifting from deep mirror greens in
summer to turbulent winter browns.
The native bush here is thick podocarp broad-leaved forest interspersed with ferns. Oc-
casionally you'll see poplar and other introduced trees along the river, remnants of long-
vanished settlements. Traces of Maori settlements also appear, with old
pa
(fortified vil-
lage) and
kainga
(village) sites, and Hauhau
niu
(war and peace) poles at the convergence
of the Whanganui and Ohura Rivers at Maraekowhai.
The impossibly scenic Whanganui River Rd, a partially unsealed river-hugging road
from Whanganui to Pipiriki, makes a fabulous alternative to the faster but less magical
SH4.
History
In Maori legend the Whanganui River was formed when Mt Taranaki, after brawling with
Mt Tongariro over the lovely Mt Pihanga, fled the central North Island for the sea, leaving
a long gouge behind him. He turned west at the coast, finally stopping at his current ad-
dress. Mt Tongariro sent cool water to heal the gouge - thus the Whanganui River was
born.
