Yes, you read right: The river that’s officially recognised as a ‘legal person’
I’m a fair-weather paddler. Happiest on a millpond, when the water is smooth, and the only risk is from sunburn. Throw in a few bluebirds and you won’t wipe the smile off my face.
But today I’m frowning. It’s the first week of October and the Whanganui River is in a spirited mood; plump with spring rain, chilled from snowmelt and thrashing about like a wild thing.
The Whanganui River is roughest at the start of a season.Credit: Owhango Adventures
“To us Maori people, this river has always been a living being,” says cultural river guide Dianah Ngarongo, as she prepares our double waka (canoe) by tying a frond of silver fern to the front. “Now finally, after a 175-year-long battle, the rest of the world knows it.”
In 2017 the Whanganui became the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person, bringing closure to one of New Zealand’s longest-running litigations. By conferring a legal personality to the river, the Te Awa Tupua Act reflects the deep ancestral relationship the Whanganui iwi (tribes) have with the sacred waterway.
Rising from the snowy shoulders of Mount Tongariro in the middle of the North Island the 260-kilometre-long Whanganui River flows northwest to Taumarunui and then south to empty into the Tasman Sea. Classified as one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks”, the Whanganui Journey takes five days.
Short on time (and courage) I’ve signed up for a one-day cultural tour with Owhango Adventures. My two “cultural navigators” are sisters Dianah and Maki Ngarongo, who, together with their extended families and elders, were instrumental in getting the bill passed.
Whanganui is the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person.Credit: Owhango Adventures
From Nga Huinga, which means “gathering waters”, we’ll travel 22 kilometres to Ohinepane.
“But first we must let our old people know we are coming,” says Dianah. “And ask them for safe passage.” As we turn to face the river, she breaks into a Karanga; a traditional call of welcome that can only be performed by women. With eyes closed and chin high her voice rises above the river and is carried downstream.
Dianah explains that the wellbeing of the river is intricately tied to the wellbeing of us all. “We have a proverb,” she says. “Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au: I am the river, and the river is me.”
With that we are off, the silver fern bobbing gaily as we thrust our wooden paddles into the fast-moving water.
The season has just opened, and it will be a few weeks before New Zealand’s longest navigable river settles into a more relaxed summer groove. For now, it’s a fast ride, but our wide-bodied waka, hand-made to a traditional design, carries us gallantly through every rapid.
After navigating the notorious “S-Bend” we pull over at a quiet pool for a picnic lunch, the fluffy green hillsides forming inverted Vs in the still water, while native ducks fly overhead. At each stop we lay a silver fern frond on the rocky banks. “This allows us to connect with the spiritual realm through a physical element,” says Dianah. “To acknowledge our old people and think about those who will come this way after we have passed.”
Our wide-bodied waka (canoe) is built for these rapids.Credit: Visit Ruapehu
The Whanganui’s personality changes with every twist and turn, one moment all bounce and bubble like a teen, the next as calm and relaxed as a lazy labrador. Some sections seem masculine, others decidedly feminine. Dianah explains that her ancestors still inhabit the river, and that with the spiritual realm open it is their moods I am sensing. I feel the warmth of sisterhood when she tells me that it is usually women who pick up on the river’s more subtle changes.
After hauling our kayaks ashore at Ohinepane we return to the river, scooping up water and washing our faces with its life-giving energy. Despite the cold, I can’t keep the smile off my face.
THE DETAILS
Fly/Train
Air New Zealand operates daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Auckland. From here it’s 4.5 hours on the Northern Explorer train or 3.5 hours by car to Taumarunui. See airnewzealand.com.au
Stay
Ideally located near Taumarunui, Omaka Lodge offers boutique Bed and Breakfast accommodation as well as campervan sites. Swim, play croquet or enjoy the mature gardens. See omakalodge.nz
Tour
Owhango Adventures offers all-inclusive, full-day cultural guided tours for $NZ $350 pp ($A327) with a four-person minimum. Multi-day tours also available. See canoewhanganuiriver.com
More
The writer was a guest of Visit Ruapehu.
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