Water flowed like chocolate milk, brown and opaque, obscuring what lay beneath. While it made swimming less than appealing, the hue increased the vibrancy of the New Zealand vegetation. Clinging and crawling, plants snaked upward, coating the steep cliffs with green wallpaper.
Hidden within sat the occasional nikau, the southernmost species of the palm tree, its fronds standing upright, as if reaching to touch the sky. The chirps of various bird species wafted through the valley, at times overpowered by the gargling of impending rapids.
Whanganui National Park
Entering the heart of Whanganui National Park in New Zealand, you leave civilization behind. You bid farewell to the stream of tourists encountered along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing or sailing the Bay of Islands. On the Whanganui River, a place often left off tourist itineraries, you immerse yourself in the surrounding landscape, something for which New Zealand is famous.
But you also sense the constant, if not subtler, the influence of the Maori. In a place that has always held an important position in their culture, you can’t help but learn how they lived on and continue to appreciate the Whanganui.
It is the intersection of these two elements that define the Whanganui River. It is the appreciation of its natural beauty that allows you to truly feel both the magic of the Whanganui’s history and the power of its present.
To read the full article, and learn exactly what magic the Whanganui holds for travelers, visit Go World Travel. And for those planning an epic exploration of New Zealand, consider adding stops in Kaikoura, Christchurch, and Franz Josef. Be it hiking, shopping, or bungee jumping, the North and South Islands offer anything anyone could possibly want!
