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Wanganui Guide
Major Events and Festivals
Festival of Cultures
The Festival of Cultures is one of the most popular events to experience when you book cheap flights to Wanganui. The festival takes place every October and showcases the many diverse cultures and people that make up the Wanganui community. During the festival, visitors with flights to Wanganui can enjoy food, music, and dancing from diverse cultures, such as Spanish, Indonesian, Brazilian and South African.
La Fiesta
La Fiesta celebrates the women of New Zealand from mid-February to mid-March. You can experience dozens of events if you’ve booked flights to Wanganui with dates that coincide with the festival. Events include everything from theatre and music to yoga and cooking demonstrations. La Fiesta began in 2009 and has become a popular event that people look forward to each year.
Vintage Weekend
If you enjoy feeling nostalgic for decades of the past, make sure to book return flights to Wanganui for the annual Vintage Weekend in January. If you visit the festival after your flights to Wanganui, you can expect to see plenty of vintage clothing and cars, shop at a food and clothing market, and enjoy a number of music performances. Elements of the festival celebrate many different eras, including the Victorian era, the Jazz Age of the 1920s, and the Swinging Sixties.
Best Things to Do on Weekends
Wanganui River Markets
If you have return flights to Wanganui for the weekend, pop down to the riverside for the Wanganui River Markets. These markets have been a significant part of the city for hundreds of years. Originally, the riverside was used as a trading spot for local Maori; once Europeans settled the area, they kept the tradition alive by holding a regular market on the riverside. Today, there are about 100 market stalls selling a vast range of items to shop when you book tickets to Wanganui.
Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park is located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Wanganui. It’s a popular weekend getaway for locals and a great place to experience when you have cheap flights to Wanganui. There are three active volcanoes to see in Tongariro National Park, including one that featured as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There are a variety of hiking trails throughout Tongariro National Park, with the most famous being the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The hike is 19.4 kilometres (12.1 miles) and takes visitors with flights to Wanganui past some of the most stunning points in Tongariro National Park.
Wanganui National Park
Wanganui National Park can be reached in less than two hours’ drive from the city centre of Wanganui. The national park is home to some breathtaking nature that you can enjoy from different hikes and viewpoints after your cheap flights to Wanganui land. A major feature of Wanganui National Park is the Wanganui River, which originates in the city and winds its way through the park. Other popular experiences for visitors with flights to Wanganui are the Bridge to Nowhere, Mangapurua Track, Kaiwhakauka Waterfall, and Atene Viewpoint.
Travelling with Children
Westmere Lake
Families travelling with an airfare to Wanganui will enjoy visiting Westmere Lake right outside of the city centre. The lake is the perfect place to go for a scenic walk in nature and to see a great variety of birdlife. As a nature reserve, visitors can see some native New Zealand birds, such as tui birds, kererus, black swans, and sulphur-crested cockatoos. There is a 30-minute walk around the lake, which is mostly flat and an easy walk for both adults and children.
Kai Iwi Beach
Wanganui is located right by the coast, making a trip to the beach a great option for families with cheap flights to Wanganui. The beach is lined by cliffs and offers stunning views over the Tasman Sea. During the summer, Kai Iwi Beach is patrolled, making it a nice place to go for swimming, coastal walks and lounging in the sun. There are plenty of children’s activities at the beach, including a playground and a climbable pirate ship. Outside of the summer, the water may be too cold to swim, but Kai Iwi is still a great place to go for a seaside walk after you arrive into Wanganui Airport (WAG).
Kowhai Park
Located beside the river, Kowhai Park is a must if you book flights to Wanganui with young children. It’s considered by many to be the best playground in Wanganui. In addition to the normal playground staples, Kowhai Park has a variety of structures and games based around childhood stories, such as Humpty Dumpty, the Three Bears, and even the Flintstones. Families can also go mini golfing at Kowhai Park after arriving on return flights to Wanganui.
