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Wanganui or Whanganui is a city on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Whanganui River, which flows from Mount Tongariro via the stunning Whanganui National Park. The district has a population of approx. 44,000.

Understand

The name Wanganui comes from the Maori words whanga, for a bay or harbour, and nui meaning big or large. However, when the early colonists heard the placename said in the local Maori accent with a softly spoken wh that sounded more like a wo sound, rather than the classical Maori fh sound, they spelled the placename as Wanganui rather than Whanganui. Now, either spelling is officially acceptable, and the trend is towards using Whanganui.

History

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

Information

Tourist and visitor information is available from:

Get in

By car

Wanganui is between Palmerston North and New Plymouth, at the junction of State Highway 4 (SH4) with State Highway 3 (SH3). It is a two and a half hour drive from Wellington, using State Highways 1 and 3 (SH1 and SH3) and a six hour drive from Auckland, via Hamilton, using State Highways 1 and 4 (SH1 and SH4).

By bus

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

  • InterCity, Bus Stop outside travel centre, 156 Ridgeway Street.. 

By plane

Wanganui Airport handles domestic flights from Auckland and Wellington.

By train

The nearest railway station with a passenger service is at Marton (40 km away).

Get around

A mixture of walking and taking buses is generally the most cost-effective way to get around Wanganui. Buses generally depart every hour from Maria Place Extension. There are also 2 taxi companies.

See

  • Wanganui in Bloom. from December to March there are hundreds of hanging flower baskets lining the streets of central Wanganui. 
  • 1 Whanganui Regional Museum, Queens Park Memorial Watt St,. daily 10:00am-4:30pm. An extensive collection of natural and human artifacts with a strong regional emphasis. free. 
  • 2 Sarjeant Gallery, 38 Taupo Quay. daily 10:00am-4:30pm. Well known for its large collection of British, European and NZ art. free. 
  • 3 Bason Botanic Gardens, 552 Rapanui Road. Daily 8.00am - dusk. Has both indoor and outdoor gardens with some bush walks. 
  • Whanganui Riverboat Centre Museum. check online due to flood damage in 2015. Contains fascinating displays of river-related artefacts and photographs of the riverboat era. Also offers river cruises in a paddle steamer on Friday evenings and weekends at 11am. free (charges for cruises). 
  • Various art exhibitions. Held around Wanganui's city centre at almost all times. Much of it is student work from UCOL, and the best exhibitions usually take place in the acclaimed Wanganui School of Design, which has a very nice tight-knit staff that can hold very interesting conversations. However, don't ask Tanya Roberson about dogs or memes, you'll be there for hours. 
  • Wanganui Collegiate School. A private school that was founded in 1854, which has a beautiful campus with some attractive old brick buildings. You cannot drive through the grounds during school hours as the school's main thoroughfare - the only one wide enough for cars - is used heavily throughout the day. 
  • The Whanganui River. 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. The Mangapurua stream (tributary to the Whanganui) 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 from the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui which is a 1.5 hour walk round trip. The landing can be reached by drive to Pipiriki then a jet boat ride. 

Do

  • Durie Hill Elevator. across from the City Bridge. Accessed by the Durie Hill pedestrian tunnel, it is the only underground elevator in New Zealand. It has two viewpoints. 
  • Waimarie. Take a two-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 including Wendy's. 
  • Phaedra. is a small but well-stocked gothic apparel store near the Red Eye Cafe. The staff are friendly and the store smells pleasingly of incense. 
  • Stardust Creations. A rather artsy-fartsy new age store with a confused demographic, but it sells some very beautiful unique hand-made necklaces between $5 and $50 that, while bereft of mineral value, are generally much prettier and more interesting than diamonds. Perfect for a bohemian friend. 

Eat

  • Red Eye Cafe, Guyton St. Right up there with the best cafes in Wellington and Auckland. 
  • Ceramic. A jazz bar/restaurant on the main street, has nice food and personable staff. 
  • Bollywood Star. is the best Indian restaurant in the Manawatu-Whanganui region. Their butter chicken and chicken pakoras are not to be missed, nor is their delicious mango lassi. A plasma TV plays somewhat enjoyable Bollywood films non-stop and the waiting staff are very personable. 
  • Kebabholik. A rather good Turkish fast food joint next to the main street Subway. 
  • Jabee Kebabs. Just across the road from the subway and has really good kebabs as well. 
  • Thistles. A small but well-stocked sweet shop with extensive range, and features homemade sweets as well as bulk candy. 

Drink

  • Red Lion Cafe and Bar/Pub (along the waterfront.). A nice atmosphere with pool tables and big screen TV's to watch the rugby. 
  • Stellar (at the bottom of the town on the main street). Does good food early evening and then a spot for the young ones later on after 11PM Fri/Sat 

Sleep

  • Anndion Lodge, 143 ANZAC Parade, Wanganui East (on SH 4, 5 minutes drive from CBD), ☏ +64 6 343 3593, fax: +64 6 343 3056, . A bed and breakfast style travelers lodge on the banks of the Whanganui River. Also a function centre. Category Winner, 2008 Wanganui Business Awards. From $65. 
  • Cooks Gardens Motor Lodge, 170 Guyton St, ☏ +64 6 345 6003, toll-free: 0800 800 843 (Reservations NZ only), . Qualmark rated 4+ star accommodation in the heart of Wanganui. 15 ground floor accessible units, wireless internet, spa bath units, kitchen facilities. 
  • Kings Court Motel, 58-60 Plymouth Street, PO Box 4029 (within 200 metres of the city centre), ☏ +64 6 345 8586, toll-free: 0800 221 222 (Reservations NZ only), fax: +64 6 345 0222. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 10AM. 12 ground floor accessible units (8 x studio, 4 x 1-bedroom) units), all with kitchen facilities, Wireless or Dial-up Internet. Qualmark rated 3 Star Plus. A member of Host Accommodation Group. Motel is pet free and units are smoke free. 
  • Riverwoods luxury bed and breakfast, 234-237 Kaiwhaiki Rd (head north out of Wanganui along State Highway 4, towards Upokongaro Village. Kaiwhaiki Rd is the first left after Upokongaro Village, approx 10 minutes (11 km) from the city limits. Riverwoods is approx 2.3 km from the turn-off. The Whanganui River will be on your left-hand side), ☏ +64 6 342 5501. Check-in: from 9AM, check-out: midday. A luxurious self-contained villa. Nestled on the banks of the Whanganui River, it has seclusion and peace, or excitement and action. 1 guest $140pn to five guests $370pn. 
  • Bushy Park Homestead, 791 Rangitatau East Rd (turn inland at Kai Iwi on Rangitatau East Rd), ☏ +64 6 342 9879, . Check-in: noon, check-out: 10AM. Historic homestead set in a lowland rainforest offering both B&B and backpacker-style accommodation. Very quiet location. Fully licensed cafe and evening meals by prior arrangement. Double B&B $125-155. 
  • La Bella B&B (La Bella Bed and Breakfast), 7 Somme Parade (5 minutes walk along riverfront from iSite Info Centre), ☏ +64 6 3458787. Check-in: 2:30PM. Historic 19th century mansion overlooking the Whanganui river. River views from every window and three verandas. Lavishly furnished with antiques, paintings and artefacts from all over the world. $120-$140. 

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