WHanganui National Park

Whanganui National Park is divided by the Whanganui River, the longest continually navigable river in New Zealand. The river has eroded through mudstone and has created impressive gorges, bluffs, ridges, and V-shaped valleys.

The alpine waters first flow from the upper reaches of Mt. Tongariro, and then merges with the mountain tributaries of Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Ruapehu.  These merged streams combine to make the mighty Whanganui River, which descends the central plateau on its journey to Taumarunui.

Flora and Fauna

Vegetation in the Whanganui National Park includes kamahi, tawa, rimu, miro, totara, kahikatea, matai, rata, black beech, kanuka, manuka, silver fern, hutu, fuchsia, and the rare daisy brachiglottis turneri.

Native birds can also be spotted in the Whanganui National Park, such as fantail, grey warblers, silvereyes, tomtits, robins, bellbirds, kereru, tui, whitehead, brown kiwi, rifleman, yellow-crowned kakariki, and New Zealand falcon.

I n the Whanganui River, 18 native fish species can be found, as well as eels, lamprey, koura, and black flounder.  There are also long-tailed and short-tailed bats in the park.

History

Early Maori used the Whanganui River and its tributaries to facilitate trade and communication among themselves and as far as Wellington, Waikato, Taranaki, Taupō, and Bay of Plenty regions at least 600 years ago. Within the dense ngahere (native forests) of the Whanganui region, early Maori from Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi cultivated the sheltered terraces and built their pā on strategic heights. In time, the upper river became linked by a series of pā which are called ‘the plaited fibres of Hinengākau’.

Every bend and rapid of the river has a guardian, or kaitiaki, who maintains the mauri (life force) of that stretch of the river. Whanganui hapū (sub-tribes) were renowned for their canoeing skills and maintained extensive networks of weirs and fishing traps along the river until the arrival of riverboats forced changes to customary practices. Generations of river iwi have learned to use and protect this great taonga.

The arrival of European missionaries in the region in the 1840s saw the conversion of many people to Christianity and the establishment of chapels at villages along the river. Land sales and a consequent mistrust of authorities led many Maori to strengthen their links with the Pai Marire religion, which centred around traditional Maori beliefs. Followers of Pai Marire were also known as the Hau Hau, and two of their strongholds were Maraekowhai and Pipiriki. They conducted services around ‘niu’ poles, two of which still stand on private land at Maraekowhai.

Maori were major traders and several flourmills were built between the 1840s and 1860s to grind wheat grown in areas along the riverbanks. A regular riverboat service was established by 1891, carrying passengers, mail and freight to Maori and to European settlers between Whanganui and Taumarunui. As a consequence, tourism flourished in the region until the 1920s. The main riverboat trade ceased in the 1920s due to better roads, a main trunk railway and other tourist attractions, although riverboats were still operating in the late 1950s.