Now and Then Booklet

This 50 page A5 booklet commemorates the 2003 re-enactment of settlers arriving at Pipiriki.that was a part of a weekend of activities marking Waimarino’s pioneer past.

One hundred and ten years ago in December 1891, Alexander Hatrick, an Australian entrepreneur launched his first paddle steamer the Wairere and in 1892 the first tourists went to Pipiriki from Wanganui. 

 The steam-powered boats and the brave people who manned and manoeuvred them over difficult rapids and along the Whanganui River, once called the Rhine of New Zealand, started to travel the river to deliver mail and supplies to the settlers all along the route

Many of the trips were to cater to the tourist trade even in those early days when thousands of people cruised up to Pipiriki and the higher reaches of the river.

Most of them were guests at Pipiriki House. However, at the heart of all this is the emphasis placed mainly on the skill and courage of the riverboat crews and the spirit and perseverance of the settlers.