The Whanganui River is an important river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river and holds special significance because of its importance to the local Māori people. In March 2017, it became the world's second natural resource (after Te Urewera) to receive its own legal identity, including the rights, duties, and responsibilities of a legal person. The Whanganui Treaty settlement ended the longest legal case in New Zealand's history.

Geography

The Whanganui River is the country's third-longest river, stretching 290 kilometres (180 miles). Much of the land along the upper parts of the river is within the Whanganui National Park, but the river itself is not included in the park.

The river begins on the northern slopes of Mount Tongariro, one of three active volcanoes on the central plateau near Lake Rotoaira. It flows northwest before turning southwest at Taumarunui. From there, it moves through rough, forest-covered hills in the King Country, then turns southeast, passing small towns like Pipiriki and Jerusalem before reaching the city of Whanganui on the coast. It is one of the country's longest rivers that can be traveled by boat.

The river valley changed during the 1843 Wanganui earthquake.

In 1975, a small eruption from Mount Ruapehu caused toxic water from Ruapehu Crater Lake to flow into the Whanganui River. This water killed many fish downstream. After the event, large eels weighing up to 8.2 kilograms (18 pounds) and trout weighing up to 2.3 kilograms (5.1 pounds) were found dead along the river’s banks. The Whakapapa River, a tributary of the Whanganui River, also lost many fish due to a lahar from Ruapehu in April 1975. This event may have affected areas further downstream.

History

Māori legend explains how the river in the Mount Taranaki story formed. When Mount Taranaki moved from the central plateau to the coast, the land split open, and the river filled the gap.

Another Māori legend says that after Māui caught a giant fish, which became the North Island of New Zealand (called Te Ika-a-Māui), he prayed to Ranginui. Ranginui sent two tears that fell onto Māui’s fish. These tears became the rivers Whanganui and Waikato.

According to Māori tradition, the river was first explored by Tamatea, a leader from the original migration to the new land. He traveled up the river and reached Lake Taupō. Many places along the river are named after him.

The Whanganui River was an important route for communication in the central North Island, used by both Māori and settlers. Despite having many rapids and white-water stretches, the area near the river’s mouth became a major trading post after European settlers arrived.

Although the river was already an important route, its use as a trade path grew when Alexander Hatrick started the first regular steamboat service in 1892. The service ran to Taumarunui, where rail and coach connections linked to northern areas. One of Hatrick’s original boats, the paddle-steamer PS Waimarie, has been restored and now runs scheduled trips on the river. Another boat, MV Wairua, has also been restored and can be seen on the river.

In the early 20th century, the Wanganui River (as it was then called) was a top tourist attraction. Its rugged beauty and the Māori villages along its banks drew thousands of visitors each year.

After the North Island Main Trunk railway was completed, the need for steamboat travel to the north decreased. The main economic activity in the river area then became forestry. In the 1930s, attempts were made to turn the river valley into farmland, but they failed. One example of this time is the Bridge to Nowhere, built to connect settlements that were later abandoned.

In 1912–13, the French filmmaker Gaston Méliès made a (now lost) documentary called The River Wanganui, calling it the "Rhine of New Zealand."

The settlement of Jerusalem is notable because it was home to two famous New Zealanders: Mother Mary Joseph Aubert, whose Catholic mission still exists there, and poet James K. Baxter, who started a commune in 1970. Other settlements along the river include Tieke Kāinga, Pipiriki, Rānana, Matahiwi, and Koriniti.

The river holds special and spiritual meaning for Māori, who also call it Te awa tupua. It was home to many Māori villages before Europeans arrived and is considered taonga, a valuable treasure. Local Māori groups first asked Parliament for protection of the river in the 1870s, and efforts have continued to preserve it.

Because of its importance, the river has been a major topic in legal disputes over tribal land claims before the Waitangi Tribunal. The Whanganui River claim is the longest-running legal case in New Zealand history, with actions in the 1930s, Tribunal hearings in the 1990s, the Tieke Marae land occupation since 1993, and the Moutoa Gardens occupation in 1995.

On August 30, 2012, an agreement was reached that gave the Whanganui River a legal identity, a first in the world. This became law in 2017 through the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017. The river will be represented by two officials: one from Māori and one from the government.

The word "Whanganui" means "big bay" or "big harbor." Early maps show European settlers called the river the Knowsley River, but it was known as the Wanganui River until 1991, when its name was officially changed to Whanganui to honor local Māori wishes. The change also avoided confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island. The city at the river’s mouth was called Wanganui until December 2009, when the government decided both spellings were acceptable, but Crown agencies would use "Whanganui."

See Controversy over Wanganui/Whanganui spelling.

Fauna and flora

The river is home to several native fish species, including Cran's bully, upland bully, climbing galaxias (kōaro), longfin and short-finned eels, pouched lamprey, shortjaw kōkopu, torrentfish, New Zealand smelt, and black flounder. Introduced fish such as brown and rainbow trout are also present, but they are not found in large numbers. Reports of catfish have been recorded in the area.

Other native aquatic species include kōura and New Zealand freshwater mussels, which are experiencing declining populations. The river and its tributaries support a range of invertebrates, such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddis flies.

Blue duck (whio) populations are found where the Whanganui River meets the Mangatepopo and Okupata streams. The Nankeen night heron established roosts along the Whanganui River in the 1990s and is the only place in New Zealand where this species breeds.

The flora in the river basin is primarily composed of broadleaf and podocarp forest. Understory plants include crown fern (Blechnum discolor) and a variety of other ferns and shrubs.

River boats

In 1892, Alexander Hatrick worked for Thomas Cook & Son to transport tourists to Pipiriki on the paddle-steamer PS Waimarie. This journey was called "The Rhine of Maoriland," a route that took travelers into the interior of New Zealand. Later, the river boat also carried mail, passengers, and cargo.

PS Waimarie operated on the lower parts of the Whanganui River, offering dinner cruises to the Avoca Hotel at Upokongaro and trips to Hipango Park for overnight camping.

On June 18, 2010, the river boat Adventurer 2 began a 230-kilometer (140-mile) journey to Taumarunui, the first such trip in 82 years. Today, Adventurer 2 provides this journey as a historic alternative to modern activities like jet boating and canoeing. However, during times of low water flow, the boat cannot reach Taumarunui.

The Whanganui River was vital for early communities along its banks. River boats traveled along the river and into the Ōhura River and Ongarue Rivers, unless these routes were blocked by flood debris.

From 1891 to 1958, the Alexander Hatrick Riverboat service operated on the Whanganui River. The paddle-steamer Wairere was built in London and sent in pieces to be assembled in Whanganui by late 1891.

It is believed that Taumarunui was the farthest point on the Whanganui River that river boats could reach. The river’s flow was managed by the "Wanganui River Trust Board," which built walls to direct and deepen the river’s channels for boat travel. Despite these efforts, river boats sometimes had to use winches to navigate difficult rapids. The River Trust operated from 1891 to 1940.

Recreational use

The river's flow has changed because water from the headwaters is redirected to Lake Taupō by the Tongariro Power Scheme. This change may have caused the raft race to end, and river boats can no longer complete the full trip to Taumarunui during dry months (see below).

• Whanganui National Park
• The Whanganui Journey is managed by the Department of Conservation as part of its Great Walks program.
• Hiking – trails that go north/south and east/west cross on the Whanganui River; Te Araroa – a hiking trail that goes the entire length of New Zealand and the Whanganui River; East Cape to Cape Egmont Traverse Matemateāonga Range Tramping Trail (and others)
• Canoeing – many historic sites and areas to visit.
• Annual Raft Race, Piriaka to Taumarunui – Last held in the 1970s
• Annual Jet Boat Race, Taumarunui to Wangaunui – Last held in the 1980s

Bridges

The Whanganui River is the longest river in New Zealand that can be used for boats, but there are not many bridges over it. Only two bridges are located on the 230-kilometre (140-mile) section of the river between Whanganui and Taumarunui. The bridges, listed from the river's source to its mouth, are:

• State Highway 47 Bridge near Tongariro National Park
• Te Pōrere Redoubts Walk crosses the river just below this location
• 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 (built in 1954)
• Jerusalem, a bridge that is in poor condition and no longer used
• Ūpokongaro cycle bridge: The Mountains to Sea cycle trail (Ngā Ara Tūhono) crosses the river on this bridge, which opened on 2 December 2020. The bridge and its path cost $3.4 million to build. It is 130 metres (430 feet) long.

• Dublin Street Bridge
• Whanganui City Bridge
• Cobham Bridge – 275 metres (902 feet) long, with 9 sections. It was designed in 1959 by the Ministry of Works and built in 1962. Its support structures are built on strong concrete supports that are angled.

A bridge to connect Raetihi to Taranaki over the Whanganui River was planned in the Mangaparua area, where the "Bridge to Nowhere" is located. However, this plan was never completed.

The oldest bridges over the river are rail bridges: the Aramoho Rail Bridge, built in 1876 in Whanganui, and the Matapuna Bridge, built between 1903 and 1904 near Taumarunui.

Notable people

• Te Mamaku, Māori chief
• Alexander Hatrick, tourism leader
• John Tiffin Stewart, engineer
• Mary Joseph Aubert, Catholic missionary
• James K. Baxter, poet
• Henry Augustus Field, surveyor
• Elsie Smith, who worked as a nurse and missionary for 33 years
• Billy Webb, rower
• Andy Anderson, riverboat skipper, born in Pipiriki