Whanganui Riverbank, Opposite 282 Taupo Quay, Whanganui, 4501
Type of Course – Out and back in two directions
Shoes Required – Road
Things to know
24 hour toilets are 2 km away at 75 St Hill St.
Parking is free and there is space for motorhome parking.
Forgotten your barcode? The library on Pukenamu Drive is open until 6pm.
Nearest showers are at Splash Centre, London St.
Risk of Cancellation: Low, annual cancellation for Cemetery Circuit, motorcycle race held December 26.
Cafe: Columbus Coffee (Mitre 10 Mega)
Location of start:
The event starts on the Whanganui Riverbank opposite 282 Taupo Quay.
Getting there by public transport
There is no public transport available for this parkrun.
Getting there on foot
Walk (or cycle) 2 kilometres downstream (south-west) along the riverbank from the i-SITE, 31 Taupo Quay.
Getting there by road
Follow Taupo Quay from the i-SITE, 31 Taupo Quay. The starting area is a grass area beside the Mountains to Sea Cycleway opposite 282 Taupo Quay.
Parking is available along both sides of Taupo Quay. Please use the official railway crossing into the park. Bikes can be left in the park.
Stats
First run: July 4, 2020
Inaugural attendance: 76
Record attendance: 83 (11/07/2020)
Course records
Women: Hannah Oldroyd 17:46 (20/2/2021)
Men: Paul Martelletti 14:57 (6/2/2021)
The Story Behind Whanganui Riverbank parkrun…
Judy Mellsop, event director
Walking round Western Springs park in Auckland catching glimpses of my younger son running was my first experience of parkrun.
Soon after we were visiting Rotorua so I joined him at Puarenga parkrun to walk my first event and before I knew it was doing a parkrun any weekend we were out of town getting ideas for establishing an event here.
I’m very unsporty and have never been involved with competitive team sport but have walked for exercise, sightseeing and to get around most of my life.
I could see parkrun would be a great way to get locals with a wide range of ages and abilities out exercising in my community without necessarily being competitive.
So, without too much thought and with no idea of the hiccups and hurdles I’d encounter I clicked the ‘start a new parkrun’ button on the parkrun website.
After many setbacks our launch date was set a year after that initial inquiry. Then New Zealand went into lockdown, delaying our inaugural event by another three months.
As hard as I tried I couldn’t get my first two route choices to work due to road crossings and the need for a straightforward course.
We finally settled on a course along the banks of New Zealand’s longest navigable river. Legal personhood was granted to the river in 2017. It has special cultural importance to the Maori people and was a major transport route for early Europeans.
The river’s mood is constantly changing due to lifting fog, the rising sun and tides. Birds and river craft including waka ama (outrigger canoes) come and go.
I’m particularly looking forward to seeing newcomers begin exercising and to completing the course myself.
It’s good to get out and exercise, with parkrun you don’t have to be competitive so it suits a wide range of people.