Friday – Wanganui, a day on the river

Our hope of taking a trip out on the Whanganui River today was confirmed by an early phone call from the jet boat company…the weather was set to stay fairly settled so we could get a trip upstream to the famous Flying Fox.

We drove out of town and up the Whanganui River Road (due to European translations of Maori names the river name has a ‘h’ and the town does not).  When early Europeans first settled in this area the river was known as the ‘Rhine of the South’, as it is the longest navigable river in NZ.  Historically it functioned as a transport link between sea and interior, first for the Maori and later the European settlers.

It is one of the most scenic drives on the North Island, however due to its steepness and sharp twists and turns it would take the best part of a day to complete its 70km (approx 50 miles).  We stopped for a picture at this scenic viewpoint and marvelled at the stunning terrain of this beautiful part of the country.

Fortunately we were only driving 6kms of this slow going road, the rest we would do by river.  We met our hosts Mark and Claire Wickham, who run the jet boat company from their rural farm on the banks of the river.  A short walk down to the river through their farm and we boarded the boat and set off up stream.

We passed the oyster cliffs, named for the hundreds of thousands of large oyster shells that are compressed into their steep sides.  This whole area was once sea bed, and over millions of years it has been uplifted by plate shifts and volcanic activity.

After an hour on the river we disembarked at the Flying Fox, an eco getaway on the riverbank – the only route in or out was by jet boat or flying fox (zip wire) across the river.  Although it was closed for winter we were allowed to have a look around the property, much to Nicola’s delight, and it soon became somewhere we would love to return to…I'm sure you will realise why!

The individual cottages (built by the owners) were all customised with quirky details; outdoor toilet, fire heated baths and showers, beautiful ornate finishing inside and all eco friendly!

We loved everything here, including the cute guard dog – Billy!

We sat for hours chatting to Mark the boat driver/owner and the other couple on the tour Mary Rose and Robert, it was great to spend time with some Kiwi’s learning about their lives here in NZ. 

Time had completely run away and by the time we said goodbye to Billy, boarded the boat and made our way back down river it was turning 3pm.  Back in the van on our drive back to Wanganui we stopped at Upokongaro village to visit St Mary’s Church, built in 1877, it is famous for its ‘wonky’ spire.