Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au [I am the river and the river is me]

These words embody the spiritual, cultural and historical relationship of Whanganui Maori, who are the tangata whenua [Maori people of this area], and the river which holds our ancestry.

Starting high up in the volcanic plateau of the central North Island at Mt Tongariro, the river travels north to Taumarunui before heading south for 260km to Wanganui passing through the native tree and fern clad hills of the Whanganui National Park . The upper reaches of the river, cloaked in dense rainforest, lead to the deeply incised gorges of the middle reaches, where tree ferns and rare native plants cling to the steep riverbanks. Morning mist clings to the surface of the water from dawn and rises slowly with the light of day. This dramatic landscape opens out in the lower reaches of the river to follow rolling farmland and open valleys to the coastal dunes and cliffs which border the Tasman Sea to the west.

The Whanganui is brimming with cultural treasures. Stories at almost every twist and turn of the river collectively record a myriad of landmark events, important sites, and key figures that have shaped this unique region. History recounts epic adventures, great battles won and lost, tales of love, encounters with taniwha, the power of magic, and divine intervention by gods.