Whanganui Journey

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whanganui Journey is a multi-day boat tour on the Whanganui River , New Zealand's longest navigable river. Although no section of the route has to be covered on foot, the tour is one of the New Zealand Great Walks . The trip on the river, which is offered by numerous local operators by kayak and canoe , is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Before starting the tour, it is necessary to purchase a user pass that includes the cost of overnight stays at specially designated campsites and in huts along the river.

Landscape image

Canoeing on the Whanganui River

The Whanganui River flows through a geologically very young region of New Zealand, the formation of which goes back around a million years. The course of the river is characterized by mostly shallow rapids with a maximum of WW II , numerous cliffs and deep gorges that the river has dug into the soft sedimentary rock over the course of time. The shore zone and the hinterland are covered with dense podocarpic forest, which is criss-crossed with endemic tree species such as rata and rimu as well as numerous tree ferns . Southern beeches dominate the vegetation on mountain ridges .
Many bird species typical of New Zealand, such as the Maori fruit pigeon , the gray fan tail , the Tui , the long-legged flycatcher and the Maori flycatcher are native to the river. With a bit of luck you can hear the characteristic call of the striped kiwi at night or watch the endemic New Zealand lobed bats at dusk . The river itself is rich in river eels , smelts and crayfish .

Routing

Route of the Great Walk Whanganui Journey

The journey on the Whanganui River begins in the village of Taumarunui and ends after 145 kilometers downriver and a duration of usually five days in Pipiriki . In this area, the river is divided into successive sections, at the end of which the traveler has accommodations in the form of campsites and / or huts.

  • Taumarunui → Ohinepane: 21.5 km
  • Ohinepane → Poukaria: 14 km
  • Poukaria → Maharanui: 17.5 km
  • Maharanui → Whakahoro: 5 km
  • Whakahoro → Mangapapa: 10 km
  • Mangapapa → Ohauora: 15 km
  • Ohauora → John Coull Hut: 7.8 miles
  • John Coull Hut → Mangawaiiti: 9.5 km
  • Mangawaiiti → Mangapurua: 9 km
  • Mangapurua → Tieke Kāinga: 10.5 km
  • Tieke → Ngaporo: 12 km
  • Ngaporo → Pipiriki: 9.5 km
Bridge to nowhere

If necessary, the tour can be extended by a further 89 kilometers and the required two days to Wanganui (and thus practically to the confluence with the Tasman Sea ).
The landscape, the river with waterfalls on the tributaries and estuaries, and the Bridge to Nowhere , which can be reached on foot on a 45-minute detour from the Mangapurua Landing , are worth seeing .

Web links