Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

New venture launched

Laurel Stowell
By Laurel Stowell
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
14 Jan, 2016 12:30 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Tourists can now be rowed down the Whanganui River by guides.

Tourists can now be rowed down the Whanganui River by guides.

Customers will experience "the beauty of wood on water" in a new Whanganui River tourism venture, Brian Megaw says.

The new business, Whanganui River Dories, comes under the umbrella of his River Valley adventure company. It's based at Pukeokahu, inland from Taihape, and also offers rafting on the Rangitikei River and horse treks.

Mr Megaw is the managing director and a fan of the wooden boats. He intends to be one of the guides and is looking forward to February, when New Zealand author David Young and his group will be taking a trip.

Mr Young wrote Woven By Water about the Whanganui River, and Rivers: New Zealand's Shared Legacy.

Mr Megaw has travelled with him before.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was inspired with the wooden boats idea after seeing them on the Colorado River in the United States' Grand Canyon. He'd also noticed how exhausted some people looked after canoeing the Whanganui and wanted other options for them.

In 2014 Brad Dimock and Andy Hutchinson, both Grand Canyon guides, built him two Briggs-style river dories at a farm near Taihape. The flat-bottomed boats are made of mahogany, white oak and cedar and carry enough gear for luxurious camping.

Mr Megaw says they are beautiful. The Whanganui public will be able to see them on January 24, as part of Vintage Weekend.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The boats were blessed by Ratana apotoro Rehita Puruhe Smith in December, and named Te Whaiau and Okupata. They've had trial runs and make their first commercial trip this week.

The new business needed a Conservation Department concession to take customers camping on conservation land. Iwi input was part of getting the concession, along with practical matters such as safety audits. As the first granted since the Whanganui River Settlement was signed in August 2014, the concession set precedents. Mr Megaw said a lot of liaising with iwi was involved and he found it a really positive experience.

"I thought I knew a fair bit, as every Pakeha New Zealander probably does, but I was challenged fairly early in the piece to realise how little I did know."

He took a trip with young Ki Tai Whanganui River guides and plans to add tikanga (Maori protocol) to the dory operation. He's now also taking a course in te reo Maori and finding out about river history. "We want (the trips) to be more than just pretty scenery."

Discover more

Dame Kiri passes on tips to budding opera singers

13 Jan 08:24 PM

Maori Wardens want review of act

13 Jan 09:31 PM

Pool owners urged to check rules round fencing

13 Jan 09:37 PM

Riah wastes no time in getting all creative

14 Jan 01:00 AM

The two boats hold three or four paying customers each, with a guide to row them. Being wooden they have to avoid hitting rocks and other obstacles and cannot be used when water levels are very low. They are built to handle "really really big water".

The first guides will be Mr Megaw and Doug Lawrence, who also guides in the Grand Canyon.

Trips will be for three or five days.

They will be ideal for older people and those who don't want to paddle or risk a canoe capsizing, Mr Megaw said.

"It's a comfortable experience, but it's still adventurous."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Ngāti Ruanui files urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim over mining project

02 Jul 10:42 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Why Whanganui is in for a warmer than normal winter

02 Jul 09:14 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

How a white picket fence symbolises a significant Whanganui family

02 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Ngāti Ruanui files urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim over mining project

Ngāti Ruanui files urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim over mining project

02 Jul 10:42 PM

The claim alleges breaches of Treaty principles in fast-track approvals process.

Why Whanganui is in for a warmer than normal winter

Why Whanganui is in for a warmer than normal winter

02 Jul 09:14 PM
How a white picket fence symbolises a significant Whanganui family

How a white picket fence symbolises a significant Whanganui family

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Rangitīkei fencer regains Golden Pliers title

Rangitīkei fencer regains Golden Pliers title

02 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP