Whanganui Journey, New Zealand

Although classified as one of the Great Walks, the Whanganui Journey is down a river in the National Park in New Zealand's North Island. A river trip in a kayak.

North Island
5 days
145 km

Peak Season is October to April - Pass required

Off Season - Hut tickets required

Winding its way down to the Tasman Sea, this River passes through central North Island valleys, forests, and hills.

On average, this 45 kilometre trip down the River between Taumarunui and Pipiriki needs five days of canoeing or kayaking for completion. There is also an option of a shorter three day trip between Whakahoro to Pipiriki.

There are hiking tracks in this National Park region if you don't want to kayak down the river, or if you are with a party where your activity interests are split between river and dry land.

This region has a unique history and Māori culture is an important part of the National Park experience. In the early years, more than 600 years ago, Māori used the River to trade and communicate with other tribes at distances as far away as the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Taupo and Taranaki regions.

Situated in the middle of the North Island, the closest towns you'll find are; to the north 'Taumarunui', to the south 'Wanganui', with smaller settlements being Pipiriki, Ohinepane, and Whakahoro providing access to the Whanganui Journey River.

New Zealand Great Walks

New Zealand National Parks

Check the Department of Conservation site to find fee guides and book huts and camp sites

Track Maps

For free track maps covering all the New Zealand Great Walks visit my page on New Zealand Track Maps and each map is provided on the dedicated track pages linked against each walk above.

Follow @ExploreNZtravel

    Tweet

                

Thank you for visiting Explore New Zealand :-) Author Caroline Ord-Hume