Whanganui National Park

Whanganui National Park lies in the North Island of New Zealand around the Whanganui River, established in 1986 and covering about 742 square kilometers of lowland forest assembled from Crown land, former state forest, and a number of former reserves. Described by the Department of Conservation as the national park most closely tied to human settlement, it protects podocarp hardwood forest with species such as rimu and totara, along with thousands of North Island brown kiwi and the endangered blue duck. The river itself, a separate feature from the park, is followed by the popular Whanganui Journey paddling route, one of New Zealand's Great Walks, and the area holds significant Maori and early European heritage.