Whanganui Conservation Department rangers Jack (Haki) Falwasser (left) and Jim Campbell contemplate the dangers of a bluff on the Mangapurua Track. Photo / supplied
Conservation Department staff have been working hard to get Whanganui facilities ready for the summer season - but can't yet open the Mangapurua Track.
However the Whanganui Journey, paddling the Whanganui River, will be open from October 1. There were no big floods on the river last winter, but preparing
facilities still takes a lot of work, supervisor senior recreation and historic ranger Jim Campbell said.
Staff have devoted large parts of August and September to preparations. The barge they borrowed from the Bay of Islands has been helpful, Campbell said, saving two hours' flying time.
It will be returned to the north in three weeks, and can continue to be used, provided river depth at Pipiriki stays at 1.5m or more.
Parts of the Mangapurua Track, used by cyclists and trampers, have been closed since June, when it got too wet. It's really a dry weather track, Campbell said.
