The river flows
It flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes
That's where I want to be
Flow river, flow
Let your waters wash down
Take me from this road
To some other town
- McGuinn/Dylan Ballad of Easy Rider
Mt Ruapehu front right & Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom) back left - photo RGH
The central plateau region on the North Island south of Taupo is known as Te Kahui Tupua ... the Sacred Peaks. In this area, the rivers Whanganui, Whangaehu, and Rangitikei tie together the volcanoes Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. I've told parts of this story before but it is in the very nature of oral histories and legends that they are difficult to pin down and find a consistent telling ...
According to Maori legend, there were 7 mountains in the area: Tongariro, Taranaki, Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu, Putauaki, Tuahara, and Pihanga. The 6 males were all in love with Pihanga, the lone female. Taranaki won her love, but when he was out hunting, Tongariro wooed her away. When Taranaki returned and discovered her infidelity, a great battle ensued. Tongariro won the battle and remains next to her. Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu moved off just a little south. Putauaki and Tuahara moved to the east, but Tuahara could not stand to go far from his love so he settled on the shores of Lake Taupo and sits gazing back at her. Taranaki gouged a great scar in the land as he moved westward then north. He hides his face in clouds to cover his shame and Tongariro smolders and rumbles as a warning not to return. The Whanganui gorge, the scar caused by Taranaki's passage, was filled by Tongariro with healing water and created the Whanganui River.
Whanganui River gorge - photo Little H
While there is some dispute about the actual timing, Kupe (a Polynesian explorer) is credited with discovering New Zealand, and his wife Nukutawhiti with giving it the Maori name Aotearoa (Long White Cloud). The Whanganui River was first explored by Kupe around CE 800. With the arrival of Europeans in the late 18th century came missionaries who traveled upstream and found the river valley to be extensively settled by Maori. Steamer travel began in the 1860's and commercial steamer operations were established in 1886. By 1905, 12K tourists each year were traveling to Pipiriki either upriver from Whanganui or downstream from Taumarunui. Commercial riverboating on the Whanganui died out by the late 1950's, however modern jet boats now make the journey. Jet boats also transport trampers and mountain bikers to various drop-off and pick up points along the river.
We recently spent 3 days paddling the healing waters of the Whanganui River. Like many of our adventures, this one started out with me saying "Hey, why don't we ... " and Kari saying "Yes" without really knowing what she was signing up for. On one of our previous outings, while looking for more trouble to get us in to, I was reading in the Loney Planet Guide about the exploration, settlement, and eventual tourism along the Whanganui River. And then the magic ... a list of camping huts and river outfitters from whom we could hire canoes and choose our own adventure.
Day 1: Warm, dry, well fed, and ready to go - photo R. Thompson
On the river - photos Little H
Looking good and feeling confident - photos R. Thompson/A. Thompson
Our boat loaded heavy and riding low ... this would prove to be our downfall - Photo R. Thompson
Canoe and kayak river outfitters provide several options for exploring the Whanganui River. Trips are generally 3-5 days, with the more remote section taking 2 days to travel. After you enter the gorge, there is nowhere to stop for supplies, make a cellphone call, or have a hot shower.
I roped our friends Alyssa & Ryan (and their two teenaged children) into joining us on the trip and once we were able to settle on dates and make a couple of work schedule changes, I set about making it happen. I looked at several outfitters online and found one that seemed to have the best chance of helping us make this trip a success. Unfortunately, they had no canoes available for our dates but they recommended Canoe Safaris. I rang Simon at Canoe Safaris and he helped us set it up. I rang him several more times, dropped him a couple of emails with questions, and he was infinitely patient and never seemed to get annoyed. When we finally met in person to pick up barrels and dry bags the night before our trip, he was probably relieved not to have to answer any more phone calls or emails from me! The next time we need boats and plans for a river trip on the Whanganui, we will definitely call him again.
Between our family and the Thompsons, there were 7 people. We were traveling 2 hours north from Palmy and they were coming 7 hours south from Gizzy. Kari got to work finding us a home-stay. We all arrived the night before our scheduled river departure with plenty of time to get settled in, pick up dry bags and barrels, and to cook up a Tex-Mex feast. One of the few disappointing things about living in New Zealand is the lack of good Mexican/Tex-Mex food. Fortunately, I imported my very own Tex-Mex chef! Kari made sure we were stuffed and had plenty of leftovers for our first river dinner. Ryan and Alyssa took care of feeding us the rest of the trip. Other than a few fruits and snacks, all we had to pack was gear and good attitude.
Boats loaded with gear, people, and attitude - photos Little H
The river extends 290 km (180 mi) but the most isolated section stretches 89 km (55 mi) through Whanganui Nat'l Park, a section of unmodified lowland forest. The geology of this area is primarily soft sandstone and papa (mudstone) through which the river has carved a deep, narrow gorge. This area of the Whanganui National Park is isolated and not serviced by roads, electricity, or cellular telephone connection. For three days as we paddled the river, the only sounds we heard were waterfalls, the thumps of paddles on canoe hulls, and our own hushed voices.
Paddling the Whanganui - photos Little H
Whanganui Gorge views - photos Thompson/RGH/KAH
The walls of the gorge are cut by hundreds of waterfalls, creeks, ravines, and caves. The area wasn't featured in any of the Hobbit or LOTR movies, but anywhere along it could have been. Little H kept asking me what I would do if Orcs started raining arrows down upon us! We took a little time to explore a few creeks and caves. Unfortunately, deep exploration would take weeks ... time we didn't have. We did make a side trip involving a 90 minute round-trip tramp to the Bridge to Nowhere.
In 1917, the NZ gov't granted land for settlement to returning WWI soldiers. Initially, no roads were built to access the settlement. Settlers crossed the Mangapurua Stream by scaling the walls. Later, a cable was strung across the gorge and the area was accessed by riding in a steel cage/basket. Construction was begun on the bridge in 1936 with a plan to facilitate vehicular access and link settlers to the steamboat service. Ultimately, the area proved too rugged and remote for farming or settling and by 1942 there were only a few families left. After a devastating flood that year, the gov't decided to no longer fund the project. The valley was closed in May 1942. Native forest has taken over the homestead sites but the Bridge to Nowhere still stands.
River explorations - photos Thompson/RGH/KAH
Our last night on the river was spent at Tieke Kainga, a DOC campsite and Maori marae (meeting grounds). Marae refers to both the site and the meeting house itself. Part of the iwi Nga Rauru, Tieke Kainga was a Maori trading centre and pa (hilltop fortified defensive site). By the time of European exploration in the 1840's, it was a relatively large settlement.
The Tieke Kainga site is in the area included as part of the 1886 Waimarino Purchase in which the NZ gov't purchased Maori land. Interpretations differ regarding whether or not Tieke was meant to be included in the purchase and no records exist to confirm or dispute this. The NZ gov't took the stance that it was Crown land on which the Maori were allowed to reside. Many Maori insist that Tieke Kainga was never sold. When the Maori chief Te Rangihuatau died in 1908, his people either abandoned the site or were driven off. The area remained unoccupied for nearly a century.
The Whanganui Nat'l Park was established in 1986 and the Tieke Kainga site was included within the boundaries of the park. When the DOC decided to start charging a use fee for huts and campgrounds in the 1990's, it raised the ire of the local Maori. In September 1993, members of iwi Uenuku formed Te Whanau o Tieke Maori and occupied the hut, establishing it as a marae and reclaiming the land. The site is now managed jointly by the DOC and Te Whanau o Tieke Maori.
When members of the iwi are present on the site, visitors are expected to follow Maori protocol and participate in a powhiri (traditional Maori welcome ceremony). We were fortunate to have this opportunity during our visit. Our host traced his ancestral heritage back to the site. He was born well after the site was no longer occupied and he was raised down-river near Mt Taranaki, but claims a spiritual connection to Tieke Kainga. His grandmother lived on the site and during the 1993 occupation her remains were disinterred from the Taranaki region and re-buried at the Tieke Kainga pa. He has returned to the site as a DOC employee, managing the hut as a caretaker. He was teaching his young daughter the traditions and ceremonies of their people. She took an active role in the process of checking us in to the campground and in the powhiri.
Launch point for our last day - photo Little H
We had a lazy morning on our last day and were a little slow getting started. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and stopped to speak with our host as we were packing up. I am fascinated by Maori culture and how it is woven into the things we see and do in New Zealand every day. Kari has fallen in love with it. She was impressed and taken with our host's understanding of his history and his desire to pass that on to his young daughter. During his daughter's singing and acceptance of the koha during the powhiri, Kari cried. She told him how moved she was and he said "Now you're making me cry." Before we left, he presented Kari with a pakohe river stone.
Pakohe was prized by the Maori for it's hardness, strength, and ability to hold a sharpened edge. It is considered a sacred stone and carries with it the story of its beginnings and of its journey.
The stone, the river, and the journey have become part of our family story - photo RGH
Day 3 was set up to be our shortest day, only 3-4 hours of paddling time, but it was also going to be the most exciting. The last few kilometers before our exit point at Pipiriki would feature the largest sets of rapids of the entire trip.
Autapu, the largest of the final rapids, is famous for swamping canoes. It's a fairly wide, straight-forward Class II rapid but there are several standing waves +1m (+3 ft) high. Depending on river flow, these can push it to a Class II+ or Class III-. Ryan's boat made it through with enough water taken on to limit his ability to steer, but he didn't capsize. Our boat was next. As mentioned previously, we were loaded down with three people and all the attendant gear. To make matters worse, the boat was a little bow-heavy and I had struggled the entire three days to get the trim right. We made it over the first standing wave with a good amount of water coming in, but we were afloat and maneuverable. As we crested then slid down the back side of the first wave, I knew we were in trouble. The bow dug in to the second standing wave and it crested over, swamping us. With no hope of any maneuverability, we were at the mercy of the current. Kari and I dug in to paddle, but the boat rolled, the gunwale dipped, and it was all over. The three of us went for a dunk and a swim.
Alyssa's boat made it through and she wisely tucked into the eddy (unlike Chad, Eddy is your friend). She maneuvered alongside our boat and we lifted Little H into hers. Kari and I struggled and swam, pulling our boat out of the eddy and onto the rock shelf. A few minutes of bailing emptied the boat out, and with a little assistance from Ryan we were back on the water. Everything had remained in the boat except my hat. We floated out, retrieved my hat, and paddled downstream to pick up Little H now warm and dry in Alyssa's coat. The only casualty of the experience was Kari's phone. Little H had a mini panic attack at each successive rapid, but once we cleared the last one without getting wet again, she admitted that it had been pretty awesome.
Ryan claims he has picture evidence of our slow roll and swim. Until the 8x10 glossies arrive in a plain envelope, I refuse to believe him.
Hard, Bro ...
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