Nov 2, 2025 Flood!
We are staying in the town of Taumarunui in central North Island for the coming week. We took a nice walk along the Whanganui River, just a few blocks from the Airbnb near the edge of town, to where it converges with the Ongarue River, near the opposite edge of town. There had been a Flood recently!
Walking along the trail through the park we noticed the trail had been gouged out, then it abruptly ended with a huge chunk of land washed away!
We learned later that the river flooded during torrential rains just 2 weeks earlier. The main roads into town were blocked by ‘slips’, what we would call ‘landslides’, and several outlying communities were cut off for a few days! All seemed cleared up and back to normal, save the missing section of riverside trail! October showers bring November flowers!
Although it looks like fall colors, these are springtime blooming azaleas!
On our walk back to the B&B through town we stopped at the local grocery store and were greeted with this Māori entryway into the store. According to news from the store opening;
“The new store [opened in 2023] has a specially commissioned … tōtara [a species of native tree] carving called ‘Nau Mai Ki Te Ao Hou’ which depicts the Māori food gods. Translating to mean ‘Welcome to New World’, it was made by local carvers from Ngāti Hāua [local iwi or tribe]…and the tōtara was sourced locally before being shaped using traditional methods over the space of three months. Situated in the kūwaha or store entrance, Nau Mai Ki Te Ao Hou will welcome future generations of shoppers to New World Taumarunui. “
More about the Māori presence in the area in later posts!