The Whanganui Journey is a river journey along the

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natura ...

in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

travelling by

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

. The route, starting at

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of ...

and finishing at

Pipiriki Pipiriki is a settlement in New Zealand, on the east bank of the Whanganui River, due west of the town of Raetihi and upriver from Whanganui; it was originally on the opposite bank. It is the home of Ngāti Kura, a hapū of the Ngāti Ruanui iwi ...

, is 145 km long and usually takes 5 days to complete. The route is managed by New Zealand's

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

under its

Great Walks The New Zealand Great Walks are a set of popular tramping tracks developed and maintained by the Department of Conservation. They are New Zealand's premier tracks, through areas of some of the best scenery in the country, ranging from coastline ...

programme, and much of the route travels through land which is part of the

Whanganui National Park The Whanganui National Park is a national park located in the North Island of New Zealand. Established in 1986, it covers an area of 742 km2 bordering the Whanganui River. It incorporates areas of Crown land, former state forest and a numb ...

Route description

The route is broken into sections which are stretches of river between campsites or huts. * Taumarunui to Ohinepane : 21.5 km * Ohinepane to Poukaria : 14 km * Poukaria to Maharanui : 17.5 km * Maharanui to Whakahoro : 5 km * Whakahoro to Mangapapa : 10 km * Mangapapa to Ohauora : 15 km * Ohauora to John Coull Hut : 12.5 km * John Coull Hut to Mangawaiiti : 9.5 km * Mangawaiiti to Mangapurua, including the

Bridge to Nowhere A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. There are f ...

: 9 km * Mangapurua to

Tieke The saddlebacks ( mi, tīeke) are two species of New Zealand bird of the family Callaeidae. Both are glossy black with a chestnut saddle. Its taxonomic family is also known as that of the (New Zealand) "wattlebirds" and includes the two subspecie ...

: 10.5 km * Tieke to Ngaporo : 12 km * Ngaporo to Pipiriki : 9.5 km During normal weather conditions the

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

on the river will not exceed

grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. As a result, there are several tour operators that offer a variety of trip combinations covering all, or part of the route. Although the Great Walk route ends at Pipiriki, the river is navigable for a further 89 km and some canoeists continue to exit at the main bridge in

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

, which takes a further two days. Because the river is tidal closer to Whanganui, canoeists doing so need to ensure they leave Hipango Park on an outgoing tide.

Accommodation

Accommodation on the route is in a combination of huts and campsites, which must be booked. River users must purchased a Facilities User Pass (FUP) if travelling on the river between 1 October and 30 April. It is cheaper to purchase the FUP before you go on the river. They are available from the various operators, DOC in Whanganui, or from local Visitor Information Centres. There are different rates for different age groups, and for jetboaters. Most tour operators/canoe hire places will organize camp sites when you book with them and supply all safety equipment, a map, and transport to/from either end.

External links

Department of Conservation information on The Whanganui JourneyDepartment of Conservation information on Whanganui National Park

References

*New Zealand Recreational Canoeing Association Guide to the Whanganui River (16th Edition, November 2005) Protected areas of Manawatū-Whanganui Whanganui River {{ManawatuWanganui-geo-stub