Wanganui

The city of Wanganui => is located on the West Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the Whanganui River which flows from Mount Tongariro via the stunning Whanganui National Park to the coast. The district has a population of approx. 44,000.

Founded in 1840, Wanganui is one of the oldest European settlements in New Zealand, and was named Petre until 1852.

Get in

By Road

Wanganui is a two and a half hour drive from Wellington and a six hour drive from Auckland using State Highway 4 (SH4).

By Bus

There are daily coach services from Wellington, Palmerston North and Auckland.

By Air

Wanganui Airport handles dometic flights from Auckland and Wellington. Palmerston North (70 km away) is the nearest international airport.

By Rail

Marton (40 km away) is the nearest railway station.

See

Wanganui in Bloom, from December to March there are hundreds of hanging flower baskets lining the streets of central Wanganui.
Whanganui Regional Museum =>, an extensive collection of natural and human artifacts with a strong regional emphasis
Sarjeant Gallery =>, well known for its large collection of British, European and NZ art.
Bason Botanic Gardens => has both indoor and outdoor gardens with some bush walks.

Do

Durie Hill Elevator, across from the City Bridge. Accessed by the Durie Hill pedestrian tunnel. It is the only earthbound elevator in New Zealand and one of only two in the world. It has two viewpoints.
Whanganui River is around 300 km long. It is the longest navigable river and the second longest river in the North Island. There are a number of operators who offer canoeing, rafting and jetboat trips. It is bridged by the famous Bridge to Nowhere. This was built to provide access to settlers establishing farms in the Mangapurua Valley. The settlements no longer exist but the bridge remains as an eloquent reminder. It can be reached by a drive to Pipiriki then via a jet boat ride and a hike.
Waimarie [http://www.riverboat.co.nz/ ], take a 2 hour cruise up the river on NZ's only coal-fired historic paddle steamer.
Heritage Walks, discover the history of one of NZ's oldest European settlements.

Buy

Trafalgar Square shopping centre on Taupo Quay was opened in 1989 with New Zealand's largest K-Mart store. K-Mart has since been replaced by The Warehouse, which shares the complex with a range of other shops.

==Eat==

The Red Eye Cafe on Guyton Street is right up there with the best cafes in Wellington and Auckland.

Get out

Drive to Marton (40 km away) and try the Amazing Maze ‘n Maize =>. See how quickly you can find your way through.
The Tongariro National Park (encompassing Mt Ruapehu) and the Whakapapa and Turoa skifields are within 2 hours drive.