Underrated and oh so beautiful
Whanganui is a mix between Amsterdam and Napier, yet it’s surprisingly off the radar for many holidaymakers, write Brook Sabin and Radha Engling.
New Zealand’s most beautiful small city is: Whanganui.’’ In an unusual twist of fate, I heard the news on the way out of Whanganui. Three days earlier, I would have scoffed at the news. But having just spent 72 hours getting to know the city, it turns out the judges of the Beautiful Awards are on to something.
But amore accurate award is probably: New Zealand’s most underrated city. For most of us, places like Queenstown, Kaiko¯ura and the Bay of Islands top our holiday bucket lists. But Whanganui will blow your expectations.
A stunning central city
Part of the reason Whanganui has won the ‘‘most beautiful’’ award two years in a row (to be fair to Hamilton, it shared the title this year), is a ‘‘huge focus on arts and beautification’’. As New Zealand’s second oldest city, the streets are lined with a colourful celebration of art deco and Victorian buildings alongside impressive street murals and indie-style boutiques.
If you’re a heritage lover, the city celebrates its character with the Whanganui Vintage Weekend, from January 22 for four days.
Sleep in an upturned boat
A brilliantly unusual alternative to a hotel is found on the banks of the Whanganui River.
The Iona Tiny House is an old kauri riverboat turned on its side and transformed into a luxury tiny house.
It’s a five-minute walk from the centre of town, and has a cedar hot tub overlooking the river.
The tiny house is a treat in bad weather as it has large glass windows to curl up on the couch and watch a storm next to the little indoor fire. It’s equally good on a sunny morning, where you can have a long sleep-in overlooking the river.
A trip down memory lane
The country’s only vintage coal-fired paddle steamer, the Waimarie, chugs up the Whanganui River as it has done since its first voyage in 1891.
An accident in 1952 left the ship at the bottom of the river, but 40 years later a plan was hatched to salvage the steamer and lovingly restore it. It took around eight years, but New Zealand’s only authentic paddle steamer was reborn.
The summer season of sailings is now under way, where you can explore the river for up to two hours. You’ll can see the engine room in action, and evenwatch homing pigeons be released to make their way back to the historic Riverboat Centre.
The city’s Garden of Eden
Tucked away in Whanganui’s rolling hills, you’ll meet god. No, not the one upstairs – this is the Garden of Death (known as GoD).
It’s one of several features that make up the sprawling Paloma Gardens, which Nicki and Clive Higgie have spent more than 30 years curating. Their passion shows – the property is a Garden of National Significance.
You’ll want to allow at least an hour exploring the various gardens, including the Palm Garden (with almost 130 species), the Mediterranean-style Jardin Exotique, the majestic Bamboo Forest and
the grand Wedding Lawn. The variety of plants is remarkable, from ones usually found in the Arctic Circle right through to the tropics.
Pack a picnic and find a spot to enjoy lunch. It’s a place so beautiful it feels like fiction.
The mega market
If you’re in Whanganui for the weekend, you’ll want to head to the central city for its impressive market with more than 100 stalls.
The River Traders Market sits beside the Whanganui Farmers’Market, meaning you can eat and shop in one place. We found everything from caramel cinnamon rolls and handmade pies to oldfashioned doughnuts.
If you love dogs and good coffee, after a stroll around the markets, head to the nearby Article Cafe, where you’ll no doubt see resident dog
Delphi. She’ll greet you and any other four-legged visitors.
Aotearoa’s best playground
For kids, New Zealand’s version of Disneyland is Ko¯whai Park. The sprawling children’s playground has everything from a giant hollow octopus that kids can walk through to a giant shoe, an enormous dragon they can slide down, a pirate ship, and even awhale that you enter bywalking through the mouth.
On weekends and holidays there’s also a miniature train kids can ride.
If you find yourself inWhanganui with a young child, this playground will provide hours of entertainment. And it’s all for free.
The city’s famous elevator
New Zealand’s only public underground elevator is still going strong – 101 years after it was constructed to give the upper suburbs easy walking access to the river and town centre.
From the river, enter a bright white tunnel that takes you more than 200 metres deep into the hill.
There, you’ll ring a bell and wait for the elevator operator to bring the lift down. Once inside, it’s a 66-metre vertical ride up to Durie Hill.
When you arrive at the top, you can climb the elevator tower for panoramic views of the city.
On a clear day, Mt Taranaki looms over the landscape. The trip up the elevator is the best $2 you can spend in the city.
While up Durie Hill, visit the War Memorial Tower, which is just 100 metres from the elevator. You’ll walk up a spiral staircase of 176 steps to find the best view in the city. From the top, you can see the tip of the South Island.
The beautiful beaches
On a hot summer’s day, the best place to cool off is at Kai Iwi Beach. Even if you don’t swim, it’s worth a visit for a gentle stroll. As it’s a west coast beach, the surrounding cliffs have been dramatically carved by Mother Nature – a reminder the sea is on a permanent mission to recapture land.
It’s a favourite with the kids, where they’ll find a flying fox across a stream and a pirate ship to keep them entertained if they’re not swimming. Surf lifesavers are also on duty over the summer.
Brook Sabin and Radha Engling are travelling the length of New Zealand on a Stuff Travel nationwide road trip in a new Hyundai Kona Electric. The vehicle has 449km of real-world range on a single charge. For more information, see hyundai.co.nz/ kona-electric.