Post #554704 by Club Nouméa on Sun, Sep 19, 2010 2:50 AM

Part 5: North of Central Wanganui

The first stop on the final leg of the Wanganui Tiki Tour is Kowhai Park, where visitors can get to see some real moas:

Well, real concrete ones anyway:

Moas were on the verge of extinction around the time of Captain Cook's first voyage to New Zealand in 1769. It is thought there were still a few of these large flightless birds to be found inland, but there is no record of Europeans ever having seen a live specimen. There are plenty of reconstructions of them to be seen in New Zealand museums though. Here is a skeleton from the New Plymouth museum:

From Kowhai Park, we head upriver to Aramoho marae. Here is the entrance gate:

A detailed shot:

The marae's flagpole:

And a detailed view of the carving at its base:

Our next stop is Cullinane College, to have a look at the gateway to the Hohepa Block:

Hohepa Block is where the college's Maori language and culture courses are taught. A detailed shot of the carvings:

Virginia Lake is part of a reserve beside the road leading out of Wanganui, north-west to the province of Taranaki:

In pre-European times, there was a small settlement called Toronui at the end of the freshwater lake shown here, where local Maori used to come to catch eels when they were in season.

Virginia Lake Reserve also features a statue of Tainui, a chief's daughter who features in a local legend that is a Romeo and Juliet-style tale. It is said that Tainui shed tears here when the forest birds told her of the death of Turere, the warrior she was in love with.

CN