Taumarunui is best known for its railway history, farming, weaving, golf, and more recently, cycle trails. The town is complete with one or two colourful characters, a museum, and a unique rail cart adventure. To check the range of accommodation, click here.
The Timber Trail from Piropiro flats to Ongarue is a fantastic mountain bike ride or walk, following much of the Ongarue bush tram system. Ongarue represents an important part of the timber industry and early pioneering history.
Taumarunui was originally a Maori settlement at the confluence of the Ongarue River with the Whanganui, with important canoe routes linking the interior of the island with the lower Whanganui River settlements. Some places, notably the valley of the Pungapunga Stream, which joins the upper Whanganui River near Manunui, were celebrated for the size and quality of totara trees, and large canoes were carved there. To learn more about Taumarunui, click here.
