Spirit of the River Jet's Cultural Journey - Jet Boat and Waka tour on the Whanganui River
Have an exclusive experience, sharing river time with real river people - known as tangata whenua.
This is another unique tour - an enjoyable mix of modern technology with the traditional craft of the past - all in one day. We guarantee you won't have done anything like this before.
We jet boat from our family Marae, Pungarehu, up the Whanganui River as far as Koriniti, with stops along the way at the interesting cultural and historical features of this region of the Whanganui River, and then jet boat back down to Atene. Atene is the point where your waka journey begins. You will receive instructions before embarking on the journey, and your tangata whenua kaituhauora (guide) rides at the rear of the waka for the duration, steering and calling instructions. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from the people of the Awa, how their forbears plied the Whanganui River in their traditional waka. You will be taught to paddle in unison, and you'll have loads of fun along the way. Your team could even look quite formidable rounding that last bend!
This is great for that special day out, doing something completely different - team building, conference groups, friends, school groups, the office staff.
Depending on the time of day, we can arrange (or you can bring if you prefer) morning or afternoon tea, or lunch to be enjoyed on the banks of the Whanganui River before you set off on your waka adventure.
Ann and Dion Ngatai at the Anndion Lodge will host visitors in style, with sumptuous accommodation, great conference facilities, and situated very close to the city centre www.anndionlodge.co.nz
All involved with the running of this tour are passionate about the Awa, experienced, and we love sharing this special place with visitors - our way.
An interesting snippet of our history - Jet boats were introduced to the Whanganui River in 1957, after a successful exploratory trip by the inventor of the Hamilton marine engine, Bill Hamilton and his wife, which made commercial jet boat tours on the Whanganui River a reality for the future. The first commercial licence to be issued in New Zealand was issued for use on the Whanganui River. The previous commercial operators were the steam ferries, which started service in 1891, and came to an end in 1958.
Of course long before this era, in fact as far back as 1350, the traditional Maori waka dominated this waterway. These vessels, sometimes in their hundreds, were a constant presence on the Awa (river). They provided Maori with an essential link from the middle region of the North Island to the sea, for the purposes of trading, planting and tending their crops, gathering of kaimoana (seafood), and settling of differences!
The waka were hewn from huge trees, carefully selected - true and strong, and painstakingly created and carved by the specialist craftsmen of the marae.
Please enquire about Group Rates or Boat Charter
Tour Details
*All rates in NZD New Zealand Dollars
**Child rates apply to under 15 years of age
***Children rates apply to families with more than 1 child
****Minimum group number of 10
A 20% cancellation fee will apply to all bookings. We reserve the right to cancel trips due to bad weather, or any other factor which may affect safety, in which case we will happily rebook to another time.
Minimum Number - 4 adults
Please contact us and let us know how many group members you anticipate bringing on this tour and we'll organise the best possible deal we can.
