Taumaranui is a focal point for the area situated on the banks of the Whanganui River at the start of the romantically and enigmatically named Forgotten World Highway it is an access point to the Wanganui River National Park as well as being reasonably close to Lake Taupo to the east. People come here for the walks, canoeing and kayaking as well as the jet boat rides along the river. We don’t arrive until 4.30pm and have still to book our canoe trip for tomorrow. After driving round trying to find The canoe hire company is somewhere on the outskirts of Taumaranui but after driving around for about half-an-hour we are no nearer finding it (New Zealand isn’t great for signing small out-of-the-way places or their streets in some cases), and decide to go straight to the holiday park – which we have already booked – to.get directions.
Taumaranui Canoe Hire turns out to be a family run business in the literal sense – the kids seem to be involved too – operating out of the family home (the office is in the lounge Set in a stunning location, the back of the house is wall to ceiling glass which opens up over incredible views of the surrounding countryside and the Whanganui below. Despite a rather homespun feel, the husband and wife team seem to be reasonably on the ball and we book our trip for two days with the hire of some warm sleeping bags, dry suits and five barrels for our stuff.
Back at the holiday park there is lively conversation in the kitchen with a New Zealand couple – the husband turns out to be an Englishman who has been living in New Zealand for the past 30-odd years – and a single English woman travelling alone, all of whom are on the river tomorrow. Eventually we have to drag ourselves away to pack our barrels for tomorrow’s early start.