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the river road
A venerable old river road runs up the Mississippi from New Orleans passing beloved antebellum mansions from another era.
New Zealand’s old river road runs up the lazy Whanganui River from the city to Pipiriki, revealing our revered heritage of Maori Marae, kainga, tiny settler villages and historic landmarks. This 80km road journey takes 2-3 hours to drive with short stops and gives a sense of New Zealand as it was in earliest colonial times.
The journey back in time largely follows the course of the great river. There is an option to complete a round trip from Wanganui to Pipiriki and across to Raetihi before returning south on the old ‘Parapara’ road, taking 4-5 hours. Instead of a self-drive trip you can join the Rivercity Tours weekday mail-run bus and experience a typical Kiwi rural delivery service complete with an historic commentary. The tour is in an air-conditioned mini-bus and visits farms, Morikaunui Station, schools and maraes en route. Morning tea is taken in a country garden and lunch at Pipiriki or in the tranquil Jerusalem church gardens.
Notable sights on the old river road include the historic villages of Atene (Athens), Koroniti (Corinth), Ranana (London) and Hiruharama (Jerusalem). The river road turnoff is 14km north of Wanganui and at 17km there is a superb lookout called Aramoana (Pathway to the Sea) giving views of the lower valley and Mt Ruapehu.
Atene at 36km, has a 2 hour walk to another viewpoint. Koriniti at 46km, has two restored wharenui meeting house on the marae and a beautiful old church dating from 1865. Operiki Pa Site at 48km has well preserved earthworks from this former fighting pa. Kawana Flourmill at 56km, was the longest operating mill on the river.
Ranana at 60km, has a century-old church and a memorial cairn. Nearby Moutoa Island was the site of the historic ‘Battle of Moutoa’ between Whanganui Maori and invading Hauhau warriors. Hiruharama at 66km, has a picturesque village and convent, famous for Mother Aubert’s mission and poet James K Baxter’s commune. Pipiriki at 80km has the Colonial House museum, a small store and the remains of the M.V. Ongarue, a riverboat that plied the river from 1903 to 1959. Jet-boat trips are available from here to the famous ‘Bridge to Nowhere.’
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