North Island's West Coast Places

Wanganui

Wanganui is a river city and the Whanganui River its raison d'être. It began as a small port settlement and a transport junction between the sea and the river, which is navigable for miles into the forested interior. With trains, roads, and now planes stealing the transportation limelight, Wanganui city sat quietly for some years while other North Island towns flourished. Today there has been a considerable resurgence; Wanganui's compact city center has lively streets with shops and galleries and restored heritage buildings that hark back to colonial times and busy trading days. Locals gather at the River Traders riverside market on Saturday mornings for fresh produce and crafts, and then disperse to the city's cafés and restaurants for a leisurely brunch.

For hundreds of years, the Maori people have lived along the banks of the Whanganui River, a major access route between the coast and interior. In the 1800s, Wanganui township became established as one of New Zealand's most prosperous early European settlements. Local Maori people trace their occupation of the land around the Whanganui River back as far as the 10th century. European settlers started moving to the area in the 1840s. Subsequent appropriation of land caused conflict with local Maori, and a British garrison was temporarily established in the town. From the 1880s the port and riverboat transport that provided a link to the North Island interior led to a prosperous time for trade and tourism, until completion of the main trunk railway line meant that Wanganui was essentially bypassed. Today, Wanganui has evolved into a small-but-appealing provincial city, serving local industry, tourism, and the region's farming community.