Whanganui River Canoes

Excellent place. We had a group that stayed in their cabins and did the 4 day canoe trip. Everything is extremely well run and organized. I highly recommend it. The cabins are clean, the bathrooms and showers are awesome and there is also a laundry area. Lots of short walks around the area from the cabins. The canoe trips are extremely well run and organized, it was extremely impressive. You watch a video, learn about the trip, then get bags and barrels to put your stuff in. They take you to the river. You get your canoes and paddles, lifejackets, emergency beacon. You have fun on the river and they pick you up at the end of your journey and take you back. You get to keep your car at their place. And they even give you some drinks and snacks when you get back, which was a welcome surprise bonus. I highly recommend the Whanganui River Canoes

Great service and canoes from whanaganui river canoes. We had comments from other paddlers on the river at how well the canoes were set up compared to the ones they had hired from another company like having straps attached to the canoes make it way easier loading and unloading every time compared to the bits of rope they were given to tie their barrels in that they had to tie and untie every time.Great all around.

We had booked 3 days on the river, but unusually heavy rainfall had prevented us from embarking on our trip on the first day. As it was not possible to postpone it, the staff were very helpful and flexible in sorting us out a 2 day trip, whereby we got picked up by a jet boat halfway along. As we lost our bookings in the DOC huts, the staff lended us tents and inflatable mattresses free of charge to stay at the campsites instead.Despite the stress they were under from over 2 weeks of lost business caused by the high water levels, they acted very friendly and professional in arranging an alternative trip format for us.We had a great time on the river, they got us back to the campsite at the end with no delays.

Excellent hire company! My partner and I hired a canoe for 3 days for a freedom tour on the river. We were given a detailed video guide the day before and tips about how to paddle the canoe effectively and safely. Ben and Rebecca were very helpful, informative and accomodating, plus the snacks and drinks upon our return were very welcomed and a nice touch! :)

My friends and I (a group of 5) had an amazing time on our 4 day canoe trip! It was a once in a lifetime type of experience. The canoes and other gear from Whanganui River Canoes was excellent, and the pick up and drop off service (with snacks at the end) was excellent. My only critique would be to print out the pictures for the briefing on a larger piece of paper - trying to squint at the tiny pictures on an A4 sheet was very difficult. Other wise, we had a wonderful time! Thank you again.

Fantastic service from the team at Whanganui River Canoes. Easy to arrange, very clean comfortable accomodation the night before and very good quality gear. Briefings were very useful, if a little long on the day we set off. Lovely welcome back with treats we all appreciated. Would recommend this company to anyone thinking about doing the river journey. While we didn't have kids with us, we were also really impressed with how they looked after nervous kids in other groups, reassuring them before we set off and rewarding them with ice cream sundaes on our return to base.

Excellent experience hiring canoes from here. Great staff and sturdy canoes. Had an awesome trip on the river too. We also loved the holiday park they are based in.

great quality gear and well run service, would absolutely hire with this company again!

Canoeing the Whanganui River was an absolutely incredible experience that I would refer to as once in a lifetime if not for the fact I can definitely see myself coming back. This experience was greatly enhanced by the amazing and personable service provided by Rachel, Trever and Ben at Whanganui River Canoes. They were incredibly knowledgeable and provided us with constant updates with regards to the weather to help us make an informed decision about our journey. They were also wonderfully flexible and understanding as members of our group were not able to make the journey due to lockdown restrictions as well as worries about the weather. They provided a 'door to door' service dropping us off at one end of the river and picking us up on time right as we finished. Throughout the experience their expertise was on full display. On top of this the facilities at the Holiday Park were top-notch and the shower after completing the trip was an absolute godsend. Whanganui River Canoes also provided afternoon tea on our return which was a perfect encapsulation of the faultless service provided.

Excellent friendly staff. The trip ran smoothly. Good food. Our guide Damian welcomed us onto his marae on the river, told us the stories of the river, and fed us well! A good choice of trip for our primary age kids with just enough excitement but not too much for them. Memorable family holiday. Kids pretty tired tonight!