Vintage Weekend is an ideal time to showcase Graham and Val Hawtree’s vintage radio museum at 50 Fox Rd. Over 25 years they have collected more than 500 valve and battery radios ranging in age from 1918 through to the late 1940s. Visiting here is a journey into nostalgia to a time when sitting around the radio was a great treat and pastime.

Join Margi Keys on a greenbelt walk between St John’s Hill and the railway line to see Sasa palmata and other botanical delights in this wild area. Ten years ago the S. palmata comprised a couple of small clumps, now it is quite extensive under the tall trees and taller bamboos, having spread by rhizomes. The green belt has some splendid natives and exotics. They must have been planted many decades ago. Natives include kahikatea, rimu, red beech, silver beech, black beech, mangeao, ti kouka, karaka and maybe the largest pukatea in Whanganui. Exotics include large crack willows, sycamore, liquidambar, Livistona australis (a palm), bamboo. ​

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Wear walking shoes.

This much-loved historic track from Horopito to Ohakune junction encompasses a mix of natural vegetation with lovely views of railway viaducts with excellent signage. Highlights include the walk over the Hapuawhenua viaduct and into an old railway tunnel.

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Reasonable fitness required; 5 hour walk. Sturdy footwear, warm clothes & rain gear; walking pole may be helpful. BYO lunch, snacks and drinks.

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Visit www.ohakunecoachroad.co.nz

Whanganui woman Pam Phease spent more than 8 years living in Oman, teaching English at government universities and doing voluntary work with local women. During this time she travelled extensively throughout the Arabian country. She will share highlights and insights from her time there in this illustrated talk about an interesting location of which many of us know very little.

Join the Whanganui Regional Museum's collections and curations team for a behind-the-scenes tour of our collection.

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To sign up email info@wrm.org.nz or call the museum, 06 349 1110

Reasonable fitness needed for a walking tour of Castlecliff Coast Care’s plantings in the dunes.

Good footwear and rain wear.

Learn  what's going on at the beach  with Castlecliff Coast Care volunteers and watch some brief educational videos which explain the coastal dune systems. These professional videos are produced by the Coastal Restoration Trust of NZ.

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Hot and cold drinks and light refreshments will be provided at the conclusion of
the session. ​​

Whanganui ecologist Rosi Merz spent more than 10 years learning about the behaviour of pest animals through her various roles in conservation work. Projects that evaluate the effects of 1080 on bird populations meant working alongside designers and engineers to innovate more effective predator control devices. Rosi has gained insight into the nocturnal lives of
New Zealands's invasive mammalian predators and the pest control industry. She will share some of these fascinating insights and research. 

Bus to Pipiriki, followed by 32km jet boat ride and 3km bush walk. The Bridge to Nowhere is a poignant monument to 96 returned soldiers and their families who farmed there after WW1 but were unable to withstand serious erosion, flooding and poor road access. By 1942 only three farmers remained in the Mangapurua Valley and they were eventually forced to leave. The concrete bridge is the symbol of the ill-fated settlement in this ‘valley of abandoned dreams’.

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Reasonable fitness and agility needed. Sturdy footwear, rain wear and warm clothing for the river journey. BYO lunch and snacks. Hot drinks and water provided at lunchtime.

We will explore the tracks on this small island in the Whanganui River below the Cobham Bridge after crossing at low tide. We will walk from one end of the island to the other and if lucky will see spoonbills and other birds.

Park beyond the Putiki roundabout on Wikitoria Rd where the trips will begin. 

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High gumboots useful for the short, muddy river crossing . BYO afternoon tea.

Join Whanganui Regional Museum staff for a tour of the museum's exhibitions where you will learn about the staff member's favourite objects
on display.

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To sign up email info@wrm.org.nz or call the museum, 06 349 1110

Join a short tour of the Whanganui District Council chambers with its splendid collection of stained glass windows portraying “The Whanganui Story”. Begun in 2006, this project depicts the important events, people and places in our district’s history including Kupe, Mother Aubert, Johnny Devlin, Kowhai Park, the Durie Hill Tower and the awa, all captured through vibrant stained glass. Our guide will talk about the council chambers as well as the creation of the windows, and the stories portrayed in them.

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Bookings are essential, contact anique.jayasinghe@whanganui.govt.nz

The Patea Power Station was the first Council owned electrical plant in New Zealand when it opened on Saturday 19 April 1902. Hosting their latest tour of the area, the Patea Historic Society will start by taking us to the remains of the power station on the coast of Patea before proceeding up the Patea River to the Patea hydro dam opened in 1984, on New Zealand’s longest man-made lake. On the drive up the society will point out important historic and Māori sites. A short bush walk is available at the dam, behind which is Lake Rotorangi. Afternoon tea at Alton.

Sturdy footwear, warm clothing & rain gear, swimwear if desired. BYO lunch, snacks
& drinks.​​

The drive to the end of the Waitotara Valley has been on the programme for years but it retains its fascination. Enjoy many yarns about rural life on the way. Stops include the Ngamatapouri Hall, Mangapapa Station woolshed on Makakaho Rd, St Hilda in the Wood Church and the Larsen farm at the top of the valley. End your trip with refreshments at the Waitotara pub and store. 

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BYO lunch, snacks and drinks

The tour of the historic Mt St Joseph property (formerly the Peat family homestead) at
14 Hillside Tce, St John’s Hill, begins at 2pm when those visiting join guided groups to be shown over different areas: the grounds and wetland walk (wear sturdy footware),
the archives and parts of Mt St Joseph concluding with a short historic power point presentation in the Retreat Centre conference room while sharing a cup of tea or coffee.

Join Whanganui Regional Museum staff for a tour of the museum's exhibitions where you will learn about the staff member's favourite objects
on display. 

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To sign up email info@wrm.org.nz or call
the museum, 06 349 1110

The popular Rangitikei Heritage Tour is back with John Vickers again leading us on our tour of 3 Rangitikei homesteads.  We will visit Guernsey Lodge, Maungaraupi Homestead where we will have lunch, followed by Merchiston Station.  A friendly relaxed day outing.   

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BYO lunch, snacks and drinks. Boiling water & milk provided.  Bring a deck chair if
you wish.

Travel with Alan Donald and Don Robertson up the river road to Pipiriki stopping at Koriniti marae, morning tea at the Matahiwi cafe, visit the church at Jerusalem where we stop for our own picnic lunch. Then on to Pipiriki with a visit to Te Poti Marae on the opposite bank via jet boat. Then on the Raetihi to visit the newly-restored cinema, viewing a short film. From there it’s homeward bound via the Parapara Highway. 

Bring lunch, snacks and drinks. Morning tea will be provided. Reasonable fitness
is required.​​

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