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Green primeval fern, high river banks and crystal clear water reflecting the surroundings: the Whanganui River is a true gem- far away from your typical must-do´s in New Zealand. Located in the middle of the Whanganui National Park our adventure for today begins with a load roar and a shiny yellow Jet Boat sliding around the corner into our view. We booked a day trip with Bridge to Nowhere Lodge and Tours to explore the unique wilderness region which lifeline is the 290 km long Whanganui River with his moving past. But first things first. Joe the owner of the tour company jumps out of his Jet Boat and welcomes us to his „little paradise“. Joe grew up playing along the river, catching eels and exploring the unique rural bush surrounding the river banks. For him the Whanganui River is not just home but also place with an immense diversity of native plants and animals that he strives to conserve. Joe´s great love and knowledge of the bush, animals, birds and plants as well as both Maori and European history gets obvious when you talk to him. He is a great storyteller and can keep guests amused for hours. His biggest joy is to show visitors the beauty of the river and inspire them for the rural bush life and all the creatures living here. For him the river is a little paradise he loves to share with everyone who seeks nature and a quiet place far from the hustle of living in the city. Besides the jet boat tours the family runs a Lodge in the middle of the National Park- without wifi, cell phone reception and road access. But not only for Joe and his family all their lives evolve around the flowing water. The river also plays an important role in the Maori Culture. In 2017, the local Maoris gained a ruling to give the river the legal status of a personhood. We are definietly ready to explore the river ourselves now. Together with Joe we start our journey upwards the iconic Whanganui River. After an exciting ride through rapids, stopping along the way to awe at deep gorges and caves covered in ferns we reach our desitination the „Mangapuara Landing“. From here it´s a short walk to the „Bridge to Nowhere“- a monument for failed hopes and dreams. Just the right time for a little break with coffee, tea and ANZAC Biscuits served by Joe and indulging in the rich european history of the concrete bridge. The „Bridge to Nowhere“ was finished in 1936, but since the goverment failed to provide road access in the wilderness area the Bridge literally always just leaded nowhere. Farming the area was hard work and within a few years most of the farms had been abandoned. On our way back we are taking in the scenery from a different angle: a canoeing trip down the river will take us back to our starting point in Pipiriki. The jet boat is gone and its just us and the water. It´s so quiet. No sounds, just the water flowing and birds calling to each other. Heaven. After a while we reach the first small rapids- no big deal. The second part of the journey down the river gets a little bit more tricky.The current gets stronger, and we are floating towards the most thrilling rapid. Just going with flow- that was Joe´s advice when he explained the whole thing. And avoiding rocks. But how to follow that advice when a massive rocks just sits in the middle of the rapid you need to go through? From our point of view we already see a bright red canoe wrapped around the rock. But somehow we managed to stay on the left hand side and avoid a crash. Lucky us! A little proud and thrilled by our adventure we meet Joe back in Pipiriki in the afternoon. After we got to know the river and his people it´s kind of hard to say goodbye. But as a Maori Legend says: after paddling the river you are a part of it and it will continue to flow in you.