Wanganui River, Tasman Sea

As we already mentioned, our home backs up to the Wanganui River.  The River flows out of the mountains in the central part of the island, and is the longest navigable river in New Zealand.  It winds its way out of Tongariro National Park and down through Wanganui National Park, and then out to the Tasman Sea at our town of Wanganui.  The River is tidal, so that at times of the day at our home a kilometer or so from the river mouth, the River will be flowing/breaking upstream, while at other times of day, it is flowing out to sea.  At low tide a sandbar appears in the middle of it.

Our first outing after arrival was a half day's drive up the Wanganui River Rd.  The road is fairly rough, paved at times, dirt or rocks in others, and really showed off the effects of the recent heavy flooding and mudslides that this area endured.  The road accesses an area of hills with very dense vegetation, and runs along the river.  Here is a pic of the River and hillside.  The scars on the hillside are mudslide scars.

The area is lightly populated, mostly by sheep farms, an occasional very small village, but also is of great cultural and historical significance to the Maori people.  From Wikipedia...

The river is of special and spiritual importance for Māori, who also refer to it as Te awa tupua - it was the home for a large proportion of Māori villages in pre-European times. As such, it is regarded as taonga, a special treasure. In recent times, efforts have been made to safeguard the river and give it the respect it deserves.

For the same reason, the river has been one of the most fiercely contested regions of the country in claims before the Waitangi Tribunal for the return of tribal lands. In fact the Whanganui River claim is heralded as the longest-running legal case in New Zealand history^[4] with petitions and court action in the 1930s, Waitangi Tribunal hearings in the 1990s and land occupations such as the ongoing Tieke Marae occupation since 1993 and the highly publicised Moutoa Gardens occupation in 1995, refer to Moutoa Island.

On 30 August 2012, an agreement was reached that entitled the Whanganui River to a legal identity, a first in the world. According to the New Zealand Herald, the river "will be recognized as a person when it comes to the law—in the same way that a company is, which will give it rights and interests".^[5][6]

So, historical and interesting history to say the least...and on our drive we saw historical Maori marae (roughly translated as a communal meeting ground for a village) and also a few historical buildings such as 19th century flour mills.  The traditional Maori villages we saw were empty when we visited, but they still are used for tribal celebrations and other events.  They are relatively well maintained, and open to the public to visit (and they just ask for a donation on your honor.)

Later that day, we went all the way back through town and out to the Tasman Sea, at a spot only a few km outside of town called Castlecliff Beach.  This is a beautiful, rugged, black sand beach, extending as far as the eye can see in either direction, with lots of drift wood forming a protective kind of dune on the beach, and then giant sand dunes protecting the interior land.  The surf is pretty awesome, too, but the water was a little chilly...so their was no "swimming," but somehow Lauryn and Lindsay ended up soaked, freezing cold, and wishing they had towels for the ride home.  The car smelled like Tasmania for a week, too.

And here is one more of Kendra - looking through the photos i just couldn't resist this very pretty picture of her...

Best to you all,
Peter, Jen and girls