User:NevilleDNZ/Retaruke River

The Retaruke River joins with the Whanganui River near Wade's Landing downstream from Taumarunui. The river flows through the farming communities of Upper and then Lower Retaruke Valley. Downstream from this Junction is the Mangapurua Landing with its Bridge to Nowhere, servicing the ill-fated Mangapurua Valley farming community.

Whakahora
Whakahora is a small (now mostly empty) settlement located on the junction of the Retaruke and Whanganui Rivers. It had several streets, including Lover's Lane, and Dempsey Street. Here still stands the old Whakahora school house. This has been converted into a stop over hostel for down river canoeists.

Historically, Whakahora's Wade's Landing was a stopover point for the riverboats steaming up and down the Whanganui River. This landing was located just below at the confluence with the Retaruke River. It was here that wool from the Retaruke valley's sheep farms was originally freighted to Wanganui and eventual export.

Just above the confluence still stands Lacy's(?) hotel, this is now is a farm house. It had it's own separate landing. It also had tennis courts, and on occasion (in the 1920s) locals would meet (come of of the bush) for a friendly game of Rubgy in their hobnail boots.

Over the Whanganui was the site of a Maori community, the land was subsequently leased to the Rustling family for sheep farming, but now has reverted to regrowth.

At one point there was a river boat semi-permanently anchored at the junction. This river boat served alcohol beverages. As the King Country was a dry area, so such beverages were actually banned from the area, coincidentally the boat was considered "offshore" from the King Country.

Interestingly, Wade's Landing has made itself into various modern hand-held GPS databases, probably due to its historical nautical significance. Today a Jetboat can be chartered locally to take passengers up river to Taumarunui or down river to Pipiriki and Jerusalem.

Lower Retaruke valley community
Portions of the Lower Retaruke Valley were settled about 1900 by government run farm ballot. Other portions were independently purchased from the Maori community. The land was then cleared, grassed, and sheep flocks herded in from Raurimu to stock the hills.

The valley previously had a tiny Mangaroa primary school. At a location further up there still remain the community hall and sports field, here there are annual children's Christmas parties, occasional Dances/Social and the Annual Retaruke Sports Day are run.

Access to the Valley is via three main roads: Oio Road, Kawatahi Road or the Road from Raurimu via Kaitieke. However on foot the valley can be accessed via the old Maungapurua Road, or by jetboat or via the Whanganui River.

Historically the wealth of the valley has come from the production of wool. Early on there were also some small dairy farms producing cream/"butterfat" for the Kaitieke dairy factory that was located in Piriaka near Taumarunui.

Kaitieke Stock Yards
Located at the junction of the Upper and Lower Retaruke Roads. There stands the ANZAC memorial, a set of stock yards for auctioning of sheep stock, and a defunct manual telephone exchange.

Upper Retaruke valley community
Then 1km up the Upper Retaruke Valley road is the location of the annual Kaitieke Collie club sheepdog trials. Next is the location of a "Victory Hall". Further up the valley there was a coal mine, it was near this mine that fossilised whalebones were reputed to have been found.

Category Central North Island, New Zealand Category Rivers of New Zealand