Whanganui means big bay or big harbour. Located on the West Coast of New Zealand's North Island, Whanganui is a beautiful river city, famous for its heritage and the arts. The Whanganui District has a strong background of both Maori and European history and culture. The town has many historic buildings, preserved from the early days of European settlement, along with beautiful parks and gardens. The Whanganui region is known for its deep wilderness and towering river gorges surrounding the Whanganui River. It has a distinctive landscape of river valley systems with steep slopes, razor sharp ridges and an almost complete cover of native lowland forest. Remote and rugged, the land is full of the melodies of abundant native birdlife.
