W h anganu i
written by Peter White / photography by Whanganui & Partners
The Masters Games and more OUR MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY
T
he largest annual multi-sport event in New Zealand will take place in Whanganui from 5–14 February, 2021. The 2021 New Zealand Masters Games is the 32nd staging of the event and set to attract 4500 participants in more than 50 sports. It is all about great sport, great mates and great memories for competitors aged from 20 to 100. Games Manager Rachel O’Connor says what makes the Games so unique is the participants. “Those taking part cover a wide age-range and have a variety of goals. Winning gold is, of course, an outstanding achievement, but equally people come back again and again to reach new personal goals, to soak up the fun environment and make new mates along the way. “The Games is more than the sport. When the sun goes down each day, competitors and friends meet at the Games Hub, set in the heart of the city, to party with a different band every night and share the day’s stand-out moments.
“Looking at the Games from a broad perspective – it’s all gold.” The inaugural New Zealand Masters Games was held in Whanganui in 1989. Whanganui alternates hosting the yearly tournament with Dunedin. The region has many sporting venues, making it the perfect location for this multi-sport event. Besides the Games, there are many reasons to visit Whanganui. Home to 47,000 people and growing, most of the city lies on the northwestern bank of the historically significant Te Awa o Whanganui – the Whanganui River. Paul Chaplow, from economic development agency Whanganui and Partners, says Whanganui is a place where a thriving arts community sits alongside a rich heritage. “There are some beautiful examples of Edwardian and Victorian architecture around the place and a real sense of history here,” Paul says. “This is complemented by our city’s strength in the arts, with galleries and quirky cafés occupying heritage buildings and modern street art taking advantage of the big walls.” The combination of the classic and the cool works well. At the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards in 2019, Whanganui won the most beautiful city award and also took out the best street category for its historic Ridgway Street. Paul says the heart of Whanganui is its river, which links the city to the mountains and the sea. “You have the historic river boats and a variety of ways to experience the river that makes this place so special. “You can canoe half-day journeys to multi-day journeys, take a jet boat trip to the Bridge to Nowhere, and the Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail starts at Mt Ruapehu and ends at the Tasman Sea in Whanganui. “There is something to suit all ages.”
TOP FIVE TO-DOS 1. V isit the DURIE HILL ELEVATOR and the WAR MEMORIAL TOWER next-door for panoramic views of the Tasman Sea, Mount Ruapehu and Mount Taranaki. 2. V IRGINIA LAKE is a beautiful outdoor garden park for all ages to enjoy. Enjoy a 25-minute woodland walk around the lake, the Art Garden and historic Higginbottom Fountain. 3. T ake a trip down the longest navigable river in New Zealand on the paddle steamer WAIMARIE. She arrived in Whanganui in 1899 and is the only operating coal-fired paddle steamer in New Zealand. 4. W HANGANUI is famed for its glass art with over 400 resident artists. NEW ZEALAND GLASSWORKS allows free public viewing of the glass-blowing process. 5. The WHANGANUI REGIONAL MUSEUM has collections dated from 1890 and is known for its Taonga Māori Collection. It is home to the largest permanent collection of moa bones in the world with over 1000 bones on display.
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credit: NZ Masters Games
