The Whanganui River is a major river in the
North Island of
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 coun ...
. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's
Māori people
The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over severa ...
. In March 2017 it became the world's second natural resource (after
Te Urewera
Te Urewera is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand, a large part of which is within a protected area designated in 2014, that was formerly Te Urewera National Park.
Te Urewera is ...
) to be given its own legal identity, with the rights, duties and liabilities of a
legal person
In law, a legal person is any person or 'thing' (less ambiguously, any legal entity) that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason f ...
. The Whanganui Treaty settlement brought the longest-running litigation in New Zealand history to an end.
[
]
Geography
With a length of , the Whanganui is the country's third-longest river. Much of the land to either side of the river's upper reaches is part of the
Whanganui National Park, though the river itself is not part of the park.
The river rises on the northern slopes of
Mount Tongariro, one of the three active volcanoes of the
central plateau, close to
Lake Rotoaira
Lake Rotoaira (sometimes written ''Lake Roto-aira'') is a small lake to the south of Lake Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau in New Zealand. It covers an area of 13 km².
Lake Rotoaira is one of the few privately owned lakes in Ne ...
. It flows to the north-west before turning south-west at
Taumarunui. From here it runs through the rough, bush-clad hill country of the
King Country before turning south-east and flowing past the small settlements of
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 i ...
and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, before reaching the coast at
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. Whang ...
. It is one of the country's longest navigable rivers.
The river valley changed in the
1843 Wanganui earthquake
The 1843 Whanganui earthquake occurred on 8 July at 16:45 local time with an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the scale. The maximum perceived intensity was IX (''Violent'') on the Mercalli intensity scale, and possibly reaching X (''Extreme''). ...
.
In the
1970s a minor eruption from
Mount Ruapehu spilled some of the contents from the Ruapehu Crater Lake (the same root cause of the
Tangiwai disaster). This toxic water entered the Whanganui River and had the effect of killing much of the fish life downstream. In the aftermath of the poisoning,
eels as large as and
trout as large as were washed up dead along the banks of the river. The tributary Whakapapa River had fish losses due to a
lahar
A lahar (, from jv, ꦮ꧀ꦭꦲꦂ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley.
Lahars are extr ...
from Ruapehu in April 1975. Possibly this had effects downstream.
Tributaries
History
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
legend explains the formation of the river in the
Mount Taranaki legend. When Mount Taranaki left the central plateau for the coast, the land was split open, and the river filled the rift.
Another Māori legend explains that after
Māui caught the giant fish that was to become the
North Island of New Zealand, known as ''Te Ika-a-Māui,'' he prayed to
Ranginui who then sent two tear drops to land on Māui's fish. These two tear drops then became the rivers Whanganui and
Waikato.
According to Māori tradition, the river was first explored by Tamatea, one of the leaders of the original migration to the new land, who travelled up the river and on to
Lake Taupō
Lake Taupō (also spelled Taupo; mi, Taupō-nui-a-Tia or ) is a large crater lake in New Zealand's North Island, located in the caldera of the Taupō Volcano. The lake is the namesake of the town of Taupō, which sits on a bay in the lake's n ...
. Many places along the river are named in his honour.
The Whanganui River was an important communication route to the central North Island, both for Māori and for settlers, despite many stretches of
white water and over 200 rapids. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area around the Whanganui was densely inhabited and with the arrival of the colonial settlers, the area near the river's mouth became a major trading post.
Although it was already a significant route to the interior, the major development of the river as a trade route was by
Alexander Hatrick, who started the first regular steam-boat service in
1892. The service eventually ran to
Taumarunui where rail and coach services connected with points north. One of Hatrick's original boats, paddle-steamer
PS ''Waimarie'', has been restored and runs scheduled sailings in Whanganui. Another of the Hatrick boats,
MV ''Wairua'', has also been restored and can be seen on the river.
During the early
20th century
The 20th (twentieth) century began on
January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nucle ...
, the Wanganui River, as it was then called, was one of the country's top tourist attractions, its rugged beauty and the Māori
kāinga (villages) that dotted the banks attracting thousands of tourists a year.
With the completion of the
North Island Main Trunk
The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and se ...
railway, the need for the steamboat route to the north greatly diminished, and the main economic activity of the river area became
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
. During the
1930s, attempts were made to open the river valley up as farmland, but they were not successful. One legacy of that time is 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 ...
, built to provide access to settlements long since abandoned.
In 1912–13 the French filmmaker
Gaston Méliès
Gaston Méliès (; February 12, 1852 – April 9, 1915) was a French film director who worked primarily in the United States. He was the brother of the film director Georges Méliès.
Biography
Gaston and the third and elder Méliès brother, ...
shot a (now lost) documentary film ''
The River Wanganui
''The River Wanganui'' is a 1913 documentary shot in New Zealand in 1912 on the 1912–13 South Pacific film-making voyage of French director Gaston Méliès. Like many of his films shot on that trip, it is now lost.
The film was released in t ...
'' about the river, calling it ''the Rhine of New Zealand''.
The settlement of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
is of particular note. Jerusalem was home to two famous New Zealanders, Mother
Mary Joseph Aubert, whose Catholic mission is still located at Jerusalem, and New Zealand poet
James K. Baxter
James Keir Baxter (29 June 1926 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. He was also known as an activist for the preservation of Māori culture. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and controversial literary figures. H ...
, who established a commune at the settlement in
1970.
Other settlements are
Tieke Kāinga
Tieke Kāinga is a small Māori people, Māori community in New Zealand, on the middle reaches of the Whanganui River downstream from the mouth of the Mangatiti Stream. It is centred on Tieke Marae, a converted Department of Conservation (New Zeal ...
,
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 i ...
,
Rānana
Ranana is a settlement up the Whanganui River from Whanganui, New Zealand.
Originally known as Kauika, it grew after 1848 as local Māori moved out of fortified pā settlements in peacetime. It was renamed by the missionary Richard Taylor in 18 ...
,
Matahiwi, and
Koriniti
Koriniti is a settlement upriver from Whanganui, New Zealand, home to the Ngāti Pāmoana hapū of the iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi.
The Māori settlement of Operiki was one of the larger on the Whanganui River, with a population of about ...
.
Taonga and Māori land claims
The river is of special and spiritual importance for Māori, who also refer to it as ''Te awa tupua''. It was the home for a large proportion of Māori villages in pre-European times. As such, it is regarded as
taonga, a special treasure. Local
iwi first petitioned Parliament in the 1870s,
and efforts have since been made to safeguard the river and give it the respect it deserves.
For the same reason, the river has been one of the most fiercely contested regions of the country in claims before the
Waitangi Tribunal for the return of tribal lands. The Whanganui River claim is heralded as the longest-running legal case in New Zealand history with petitions and court action in the 1930s, Waitangi Tribunal hearings in the 1990s, the ongoing
Tieke Marae land occupation since 1993, and the highly publicised
Moutoa Gardens
Moutoa Gardens, also known as Pākaitore, is a park in the city of Whanganui, New Zealand. Named after the Battle of Moutoa Island in the Second Taranaki War, it contains a memorial to the battle inscribed "To the memory of the brave men who fel ...
occupation in 1995.
On 30 August 2012 agreement was reached that entitled the Whanganui River to a
legal identity
In law, a legal person is any person or 'thing' (less ambiguously, any legal entity) that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for ...
, a first in the world,
and on 15 March 2017 the relevant settlement was passed into law (Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017) by the
New Zealand Parliament.
Chris Finlayson, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, said the river would have an identity "with all the corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person". He said some people would consider it strange, but it is "no stranger than family trusts, or companies, or incorporated societies."
The bill finalised 140-year-old negotiations between Māori and the government.
The river will be represented by two officials, one from Māori and the other from the government.
Naming
''Whanga nui'' is a phrase meaning "big bay"
or "big harbour". Some very early maps show that European settlers called the river the ''Knowsley River'', however it was known as the ''Wanganui River'' until its name was officially changed to ''Whanganui'' in 1991, respecting the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason for this change was also to avoid confusion with the
Wanganui River in the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
. The city at the river's mouth was called Wanganui until December 2009, when the government decided that while either spelling was acceptable,
Crown agencies would use the ''Whanganui'' spelling.
See
Controversy over Wanganui/Whanganui spelling
Flora and fauna
A wide variety of flora and fauna can be found in the Whanganui River.
Birds
Blue duck/Whio populations can be found at the junction of the Whanganui River and the Mangatepopo and Okupata streams.
The
Nankeen night heron established roosts along the Whanganui River in the 1990s and is breeding in New Zealand only in this location.
Fish
The Whanganui River provides the habitat for eighteen species of native fish as well as lamprey and black flounder.
Native fish species present include
Cran's bully,
upland bully,
climbing galaxias,
pouched lamprey
The pouched lamprey (''Geotria australis''), also known as the korokoro or wide-mouthed lamprey, is a species in the genus ''Geotria'', which is the only genus in the family Geotriidae. The second species in the genus is the Argentinian lamprey ...
,
shortjaw kokopu,
torrentfish and
New Zealand smelt
The New Zealand smelt (''Retropinna retropinna''), also known as the New Zealand common smelt, New Zealand cucumber fish, or silveries is a smelt of the family Retropinnidae, found only in New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an ...
.
Although not present in high numbers,
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model ...
and
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coast ...
are found in the river and there have also been reports of catfish being present.
Other aquatic species
Other aquatic species present in the river include
Longfin
The longfins, also known as roundheads or spiny basslets, are a family, Plesiopidae, which were formerly placed in the order Perciformes but are now regarded as being ''incertae sedis'' in the subseries Ovalentaria in the clade Percomorpha. They ...
and
Short-finned eel
The short-finned eel (''Anguilla australis''), also known as the shortfin eel, is one of the 15 species of eel in the family Anguillidae. It is native to the lakes, dams and coastal rivers of south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and much of t ...
s and
koura.
New Zealand freshwater mussels are also present in the river, although these have been shown to be in decline.
Invertebrate fauna
The Whanganui river and its tributaries are also home to a variety of invertebrates such as mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies.
Flora
The Whanganui River basin contains a variety of flora species, much of which can be characterised as a broadleaf and
podocarp forest; understory species include crown fern (''
Blechnum discolor''), and a variety of other ferns and shrubs.
River boats
In 1892
Alexander Hatrick was contracted by
Thomas Cook & Son to carry tourists to
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 i ...
on the paddle-steamer ''
PS Waimarie
The Paddle Steamer ''Waimarie'' is an historic riverboat based on the Whanganui River in New Zealand. She is the only coalfired paddle steamer still operating in New Zealand. ''Waimarie'' was built in 1899 by Yarrow & Co. in London and transpor ...
'', the journey was "The
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
of
Maoriland" tourist route into the interior of New Zealand. The river boat subsequently carried mail, passengers and cargo.
''PS Waimarie'' operates on the lower stretches of the river, including dinner cruises to Avoca Hotel at
Upokongaro
Upokongaro or Ūpokongaro is a settlement upriver from Whanganui, New Zealand, in the Makirikiri Valley. Settled by Europeans in the 1860s, it was an important ferry crossing and riverboat stop. A spectacular discovery of moa bones was made in ...
and trips to
Hipango Park for overnight camping.
On 18 June 2010 the ''Adventurer 2'' river boat embarked,
attempting to make the voyage to
Taumarunui. The first voyage to Taumarunui in 82 years. The ''Adventurer 2'' now offers this trip to tourist as an historic alternative to jet boating and canoeing the river. Though in low water flows it cannot make it all the way to Taumarunui.
River boat landings
The Whanganui River was the supply artery for the early communities along its banks. River boats used to ply the river, and also into the
Ohura River and
Ongarue River
The Ongarue River is a river of the Waikato and Manawatū-Whanganui regions of New Zealand's North Island. A major tributary of the Whanganui River, it flows west then south from its sources in the Hauhungaroa Range northwest of Lake Taupo, pa ...
s unless these routes were log jammed after floods.
Between 1891 and 1958 the Alexander Hatrick
Riverboat service operated on the Whanganui River. The paddle-steamer Wairere ordered from London and shipped in sections then assembled in Whanganui in late 1891.
It is said that Taumarunui was the highest reach of the Whanganui River that was navigable by river boat. The river flow was managed by the "Wanganui River Trust Board" which built containing walls to direct and deepen the rivers channels for river traffic. Even so, river boats sometimes found it necessary to winch themselves up the more difficult rapids. The River Trust existed from 1891 to 1940.
Recreational use
The flow of the river has been altered with the diversion of water from the
headwaters into
Lake Taupō
Lake Taupō (also spelled Taupo; mi, Taupō-nui-a-Tia or ) is a large crater lake in New Zealand's North Island, located in the caldera of the Taupō Volcano. The lake is the namesake of the town of Taupō, which sits on a bay in the lake's n ...
. This may have been a contributing factor to the demise of the raft race and means river boats can no longer make the entire trip to Taumarunui during the drier months (see below).
*
Whanganui National Park
*The
Whanganui Journey
The Whanganui Journey is a river journey along the Whanganui River in the North Island of New Zealand travelling by canoe or kayak. The route, starting at Taumarunui and finishing at Pipiriki, is 145 km long and usually takes 5 days t ...
is managed by the
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 programme.
*Hiking (north/south and east/west trails cross on the Whanganui River)
**
Te Araroa – The hiking trail the length of New Zealand and the Whanganui.
**
East Cape to Cape Egmont Traverse
The East Cape to Cape Egmont Traverse is a significant journey in New Zealand that holds historical and cultural significance. Two authors and walkers have documented their experiences in books: Raymond Salisbury's "Cape to Cape - 80 Day Travers ...
**
Matemateāonga Range Tramping Trail (and others)
*Canoeing – many historic aspects and sites to visit.
*Annual Raft Race, Piriaka to Taumarunui – Last run in the
1970s
*Annual Jet Boat Race, Taumarunui to Wangaunui – Last run in the
1980s
Bridges
Despite being New Zealand's longest navigable river, the Whanganui has few bridges. Only two are located on the stretch between Whanganui and Taumarunui. The complete list of bridges in order from source to sea are:
*
State Highway 47 Bridge near
Tongariro National Park
* Te Porere Redoubt Walk crosses the river just downstream from
* The
Western Diversion of the Tongariro Power Scheme crosses the river.
* A private forestry road near Lake Te Whaiau
* Hohotaka Road near
Kakahi
* Taumarunui (x4) (including Victory Bridge)
* New Te Maire Bridge (1954)
* Jerusalem, derelict swing bridge.
*
The
Mountains to Sea cycle trail (Ngā Ara Tūhono) crosses the river on
Ūpokongaro Cycle Bridge, which opened on 2 December 2020. The long bridge and cycle path link to it cost $3.4m.
Whanganui –
* Dublin Street Bridge
* Whanganui City Bridge
* Cobham Bridge – long, 9
spans, designed 1959 by
Ministry of Works, constructed 1962,
abutment
An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining wal ...
s rest on raked
prestressed concrete piles.
A bridge over the Whanganui to connect
Raetihi to
Taranaki was to be constructed in the Mangaparua area (where 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 ...
) is located, but this plan was never implemented.
Rail bridges
The oldest bridges over the river are rail bridges; the
Aramoho
Aramoho is a settlement on the Whanganui River, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is an outlying suburb of Whanganui.
History
The settlement was established on the river in the 18 ...
Rail Bridge of 1876 in Whanganui and the
Matapuna Bridge of 1903-1904 near
Taumarunui.
Notable people
*
Te Mamaku
Hemi Topine Te Mamaku (c. 1790 – June 1887) was a Māori chief in the Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi iwi from the Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
Te Mamaku was born and raised in the Whanganui area and as tribal chief commanded a pā ...
, Māori chief
*
Alexander Hatrick, tourism leader
*
John Tiffin Stewart
John Tiffin Stewart (18 November 1827 – 19 April 1913) was a notable New Zealand civil engineer and surveyor and mapper. He was born in Rothesay, Bute, Scotland, in 1827 and was married to the social activist Frances Stewart.
Career in ...
, engineer
*
Mary Joseph Aubert, Catholic mission
*
James K. Baxter
James Keir Baxter (29 June 1926 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. He was also known as an activist for the preservation of Māori culture. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and controversial literary figures. H ...
, poet
*
Henry Augustus Field
Henry Augustus Field (1852 – 8 December 1899) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. By profession a surveyor, he retired in his late 20s due to rheumatism and became a farmer. He died in office just two days after having won ...
, surveyor
*
Elsie Smith, 33 years ministering as a nurse and missionary
*
Billy Webb, rower
*
Andy Anderson, riverboat skipper, born
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 i ...
References
External links
Wanganui's Official Tourism PortalThe history of the Hatrick Riverboat Service.Whanganui Guide – Booklet by Whitewater NZMap including Major Pa Sites on the RiverNZ Geographic Magazine - Smokestacks and Paddle Wheels
{{Whanganui
Rivers of Manawatū-Whanganui
Rivers of New Zealand
Environmental personhood