Whanganui River

Whanganui River and Wanganui city seen from Durie Hill from.

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Whanganui River is the third longest river and the longest navigable waterway in New Zealand. It is 290 kilometers long and flows exclusively through the Manawatu-Wanganui Region. Unlike its northern neighbor, the Waikato River, it is much more natural state, as it flows through any large metropolitan area, however, by two national parks and New Zealand Centre for river kayaking is.

In 1991, the river was officially renamed again by the will of the local Iwi in Whanganui River, having previously long Wanganui River said. The city and the district but retained its name Wanganui.

Geography

The Whanganui River rises on the slopes of Tongariro deep in the national park. From the mountain, the river turns through dense rainforest first to the northwest, before he performs at the 5,000 - person town Taumarunui in a southwesterly direction. From here the river is navigable. This hilly area that is overgrown part of extensive grassland and partly of native rainforest, called King Country. After this rough, partly bush -covered area of ​​the Whanganui River turns to the southeast. Before he met at Castle Cliff, a suburb of the 40,000 - inhabitant city Wanganui on large sand dunes and ends at the South Taranaki Bight to the Tasman Sea, it flows through the was only founded in 1986 Whanganui National Park, on both sides of the river, the natural rainforest areas protects, but does not include the river itself.

Overall, the Whanganui River, which like no other large river in New Zealand the country's diversity better reflects characterized by a distinctive environment: Besides the fact that the river flows through numerous above-mentioned vegetation zones, the river winds partially in countless narrow river loops in deep, sharp valleys through the rain forest. The whole area is less populated than, say, the waterfronts of the Waikato River and only a few paved roads lead through the area. There is no city with more than 100,000 inhabitants on the banks of the Whanganui River; Wanganui is the largest town just before the mouth.

History

The emergence of the Whanganui River Māori declared themselves with the help of Mount Taranaki legend. Then the Taranaki should have been in earlier times together with the three volcanoes Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe in the central plateau. But when the Taranaki started an argument with the little Pihanga be located there as well, this was taken from Tongariro in protection. During the dispute, among others, the sky became dark and the earth shook. After the lost of the dispute decided offended and angry Taranaki to move away from the others and soon found himself at its present exposed position again. The left behind on his journey furrow filled soon afterwards with clean water from the Tongariro. Many Māori believed that the Taranaki could one day return to the other mountains again and avoided some of this area as a place of residence.

Despite this legend the Māori were the first who explored the river and used it as a food source. The honor of having discovered the first man to the river, Kupe is given. As more and more Polynesians who settled in their canoes in New Zealand, came to this area, the river was developed as an important trade and travel route. The first Europeans arrived in 1831 the mouth of the Whanganui and the New Zealand Company founded in 1840 today Wanganui, which already counted 2,000 residents 20 years later. Although the river has over 200 rapids and was not always easy to navigate, he nonetheless served for a long time as the most important way to the interior of the North Island. This status has been strengthened with the opening of the first regularly scheduled steamship line in 1892 again. With the completion of North Iceland Main Trunk Railway, the main railway line of the North Island ( between Auckland and Wellington ), the steamship lost its importance, and the economy of the region was directed from the forestry. Today again runs a restored steamboat, the Waimarie, as a tourist attraction on the river.

At the beginning of the 20th century turned the river one of the most popular tourist destinations in New Zealand dar. After the First World War was tried in vain to settle returning soldiers in the previously impenetrable jungle, which should build farms there. A well-known proof of the failed " colonizing " the Bridge to Nowhere ( German: Bridge to Nowhere ).

Flora & Fauna

Flora

Before the first settlers reached the area, was - the whole forested area - up to a few spots in wetlands or dunes. While on the ridges of the hills grew mostly southern beech, presented angiosperms and stone Yews the majority of tree species on the slopes and in the plane. Under the latter, especially the Rimu ( Dacrydium cupressinum ) has a strong presence, although he was often like for timber. Among the angiosperms the Tawa ( Beilschmiedia tawa ) is the most common, other known trees are tree ferns and Mahoe.

Fauna

While in the river itself, especially many Süßwasseraale and lampreys live, the adjoining rain forests offer excellent conditions for many New Zealand birds. Examples of this are the Brown Kiwi ( Apteryx mantelli ), Catches and the Maori Glockenhonigfresser (English: New Zealand Bellbird; Anthoris melanura ), Maori fruit pigeons ( Māori: Kereru; Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae ) and many more.