Fodor's Expert Review Whanganui River Road Mail Tour
Run by Whanganui Tours, this early-morning trip goes to Pipiriki and back by midafternoon; precise times vary depending on how much mail the postman has to deliver and whether he waits while you enjoy an optional jet-boat ride. Pickups are from city accommodations, and reservations are essential.
Sights en route include the remains of giant, fossilized oyster shells at Oyster Cliffs (28 km [17 miles] from Wanganui) and the village of Koriniti (47 km [29 miles]), which contains historic but still much-used Māori ceremonial buildings and a small Anglican church. If there's anything happening, just ask whether it's appropriate to visit—unless it's a private funeral, you're likely to be made completely welcome. The restored Kawana Flour Mill and colonial miller's cottage (56 km [35 miles]) provide a glimpse of bygone pioneer life. In the farming settlement of Ranana (60 km [37 miles]), a Roman Catholic church from the 1890s remains a place of worship; the larger St. Joseph's Church... READ MORE
Run by Whanganui Tours, this early-morning trip goes to Pipiriki and back by midafternoon; precise times vary depending on how much mail the postman has to deliver and whether he waits while you enjoy an optional jet-boat ride. Pickups are from city accommodations, and reservations are essential.
Sights en route include the remains of giant, fossilized oyster shells at Oyster Cliffs (28 km [17 miles] from Wanganui) and the village of Koriniti (47 km [29 miles]), which contains historic but still much-used Māori ceremonial buildings and a small Anglican church. If there's anything happening, just ask whether it's appropriate to visit—unless it's a private funeral, you're likely to be made completely welcome. The restored Kawana Flour Mill and colonial miller's cottage (56 km [35 miles]) provide a glimpse of bygone pioneer life. In the farming settlement of Ranana (60 km [37 miles]), a Roman Catholic church from the 1890s remains a place of worship; the larger St. Joseph's Church and Catholic Mission, established by Home of Compassion founder Mother Aubert, is in picturesque Hiruharama (66 km [41 miles]), better known locally as Jerusalem. In Pipiriki (79 km [49 miles]), the turnaround point, it's possible to arrange a jet-boat tour up to the magnificent river gorges or farther still to Mangapurua Landing. From the landing, an easy 40-minute walk through forested terrain leads to the remote Bridge to Nowhere; this huge concrete span is a remnant of the Mangapurua farming settlement, abandoned in 1942.
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