STEPHEN West, from Alaska, loves the look of old Taumarunui buildings and the street art they have been decorated with.
AFTER being almost bereft of international visitors following recent disruptions to international travel, Te Araroa, the New Zealand Walking Trail, is again bringing a steady stream of hikers and touring cyclists to Taumarunui. Almost daily, the travellers can be seen making their way by bike or on foot down Golf Rd and into town after exiting the Timber Trail at Ongarue. The 85km track which runs through Pureora Forest Park is a popular section of the national trail as it provides access to some of the country’s last remaining mature podocarp forest, comprising big rimu, totara, miro and other native trees. Once in Taumarunui, the travellers generally spend a night in accommodation before setting out for canoe adventures on the Whanganui River, though excessively rain-swollen water levels have put paid to these over much of the last two weeks. STAGING POST Having arrived in town, the goal from most of those who ply the National Walking Trail is to use Taumarunui as a staging post to reach Whakapapa Village, on Mt Ruapehu, which becomes a base from which to tackle parts, or all, of the Tongariro Northern Circuit track. But one of the travellers told King Country News Taumarunui could be under-selling itself as a one-night-stop for resting up following the Timber Trail. Stephen West, 35, who has worked the past several years on a salmon boat based in Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, said he stayed two nights in Taumarunui, borrowed a bicycle from a local and had a great time exploring the town and its precincts. Stephen grew up in New Jersey and often visited wider family in Wheeling, West Virginia. “I loved the old buildings in Taumarunui, such as the Taranaki Daily News building in Miriama St, because they remind me of the buildings in some rural parts of America.” URBAN COLLECTIVE Stephen also spent parts of his youth in an urban collective with a group of skateboarders and artists in Newark New Jersey. This experience sharpened his appreciation of graffiti art, and he said there were fine examples of this on Taumarunui buildings. “Taumarunui is a small town with a lot of local character and I love the pristine peaceful green hills around it; the place is so reminiscent of the farming communities I knew in up-state New York. The old buildings in here are kind of a time warp, which makes you realise what the town was like back in the day. And the street art provides some grittiness that I really appreciate. “Back in the States, we have often seen unique little places like this become bases for communities of artists.” Stephen said he made good money as a salmon fisherman in Alaska, which he worked at only three months of the year. When he heard his air tickets to New Zealand were to cost US$1200, he hesitated as there were many appealing destinations around the world he could have reached for that kind of money. PRESS ON But following three months on the walking trail beginning in Cape Reinga, he now intended to press on to do the entire 3000 km to reach Bluff. “I have only hitchhiked about 70km in total. At first, I found the walk difficult but now I love it. I would prefer not to miss out on any of it through more hitchhiking. “It really gives you a feel for the country to walk along the coast, though bush and farmland – it gives you a good feel for what New Zealand is all about. “I have been fishing in Alaska for the last few years and New Zealand is well spoken of over there. “Perhaps these are two parts of the world with similar cultures, based upon respect for nature and helping your neighbour.” Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said it was fantastic to see the local tourism sector recover from Covid with both domestic and international visitors discovering Taumarunui and all it has to offer. “People are coming from all over New Zealand and the world to ride the Forgotten World Adventures rail carts, cycle the Timber Trail, play golf, fish or canoe on the Whanganui River and enjoy the many other amazing experiences available from Taumarunui. TRAIN STOPS REINSTATED “We expect to see even more people coming through town with Taumarunui now being reinstated as a scheduled stop for the Northern Explorer train services from next Sunday.” Visit Ruapehu CEO Jo Kennedy said she was at a tourism meeting at The Park Hotel in National Park Village on Friday and the town was full of international travellers. “The presence of foreign accents and travellers from across the globe really brings a buzz to town. Here’s to a fantastic summer in Ruapehu.”
