Owhango Adventures

The river is so so beautiful and it was fabulous letting it take us for 3 days.

Our guides were amazing. Cheerful, helpful, really taking care of us. Food was plentiful and outstanding.

Owhango coped with initial bad weather, prioritising safety and accomodating us an extra night with advice on activities.

Would highly recommend this company, well organised and super friendly staff who accommodated all our needs and we had no issues. We did the 3 day canoe trip as a group of 6 and had a great time!

We arrived on a rainy Friday night to 5 star accomodation and boy we know we were in for a treat.
Although the weather set us back by one day, it didn’t set back any of our plans in the slightest. Grant and Willy had our best interests in mind delaying the trip (definitely a good call when we got onto the river we soon realised it was a no brainer).
With a change of plans, Grant sorted us out with some great last minute accommodation, and who would’ve thought we could be upgraded from the night before.
We set sail on Sunday, Owhanga adventures set us up with canoes, barrels (for our belongings), life jackets and a safety briefing to send us on our way. Communication was excellent, but the chat and hospitality was even better. Even if you travel to the lovely Owhanga to discover your trip is cancelled, it will be well worth your while just to get to meet the dream team; Willy, Pat, Grant and the rest of the Owhanga crew.
We will be back and we won’t be using any other company as it is impossible to find a better warm and welcoming experience.
From Gabriel

I went on the Owhango Adventures 3 days Whanganui River crossing with a group of 21 people. On the day, we were delayed due to the river level being too high. The team were so great and let us stay another night with no additional charge and proceeded to drive our group around Taumaranui to ensure we had a good time. The hotel is a little rough around the edges but has great character and comfy beds. The next day we were off on the river and got picked up in the big van. We were accidentally too slow on the last day, and left the bloke picking us waiting for a few hours. (So sorry Pat). Despite this, he was just so happy we were having a great time. Thanks Owhango Adventures. I will be recommending you guys and the Whanganui River to everyone I see!

Thanks to the team for a great trip! Everything went smoothly and the company had a very relaxed vibe which made it feel more personal and less commercial like other tours in NZ.

Great long weekend courtesy of Grant, Willi and Pat at Ōwhango adventures. We had a large group and they were extremely hospitable and went above and beyond to make sure we were all set up for our trip. Highly recommend

Excellent adventure! Take the guided option for something special - local history & river knowledge, great kai, good laughs, kaitiakitanga at its best. Nga mihi Willi, one of those lifetime experiences. (Team Kakariki)

Top 4 day canoe adventure on the Whanganui. Grant and Willie excellent. Guided definitely recommended and made the trip one of those life experiences, no exageration.

We are a French couple who came to explore New Zealand. To do the great walk "Whanganui Journey" we contacted Owhango Adventure recommended by the DOC and we were super satisfied with the whole team. They offer one night in their premises the day before departure, the rental of canoes, and the return shuttle at a reasonable and affordable price, which is rare for a great walk. In addition, we were in the cyclone period and the manager kept us informed until the reopening of the trek. Thank you to the whole team for making this great walk unforgettable!

Absolutely awesome 3 day cultural experience with the Owhango team. Grant was totally on the ball and Willy, our guide, gave us tremendous insights into the history of the river and its people. And he was a good cook and we had fun!

Grant is a top bloke! Very friendly, good sense of humour and easy to sit and have a beer and a chat with at the charming bar in the Owhango Hotel, which had a definite local feel to it.

My wife and I did the Tongariro Crossing and it was really nice to have someone cook us a big breaky and a nice dinner on that day so you don’t have to worry about it. It also included accommodation and a shuttle to and from the starting and end point. Another plus was that we weren’t shuttled to and from with a massive group and didn’t have to deal with waiting or lineups. Ann Marie was a sweetheart as well. See you again!

Warning: do NOT believe what you are promised. Hotel substandard. Neither tent nor mats were provided, had to help ourselves to food, unhelpful guide who didn't give a toss.

Our group did the 5-day Whanganui River Journey and had the best time! We would 100% choose Ōwhango Adventures again! Grant was super easy-going and great to communicate with. It was no problem to add another person onto our group at a later date. I felt like Grant went out of his way to make our whole experience smoother. Everytime we spoke on the phone it felt like I was just chatting to a mate! The Ōwhango Hotel accommodation suited us well (cool to imagine it in its heyday), and all of our barrels were laid out ready for us when we arrived. Di, Grant, Pat and Willy were really accomodating and offered to get our car driven to Pipiriki for a small additional fee. It made all the difference when we came off the river, all wet and tired! Willy also gave us great instructions and tips before we left, what an awesome guy!
We definitely recommend Ōwhango Adventures if you want to support a local business with friendly, fun staff who really care about your experience!
Kia ora, ngā mihi nui, thanks Ōwhango Adventures!

Highly recommend Grant, Pat and the team at Owhango Adventures. Safe and reliable for completing the Whanganui Journey. Wonderful people!

Just had the most amazing time on the Whanganui river thanks to Grant and Pat and the team, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
The whole experience was smooth, personal, kind and no-fuss. Communication with Grant to book was easy and he quickly replied. Since we could find no pictures of the accommodation we were a little nervous, but it was really convenient! Basic but amazing hot showers, and meant the setting off process in the morning was smooth.
He provided all the equipment that we needed and a quick briefing and we were off with a minimum of faff. Pat was our driver and he was a legend.
Everyone we encountered through our time was lovely, and really heightened the experience.
If we come back, we would absolutely book again with Grant/Owhango adventures.

Right from the word go Grant was friendly, engaging and amenable to our requests and change of plans. I took my brothers on a two day trip from Cherry grove, bought forward a couple of days due to forecast rain. Grant was flexible in choice of kayaks (singles) and trip timing which was appreciated. Safety briefing was as it should be.brief and appropriate to our experience! Gear was good! Time on the river was memorable and great to be greeted by a smiling Grant at Whakahoro with a cold drink! He displayed his wealth of local knowledge and experience with us and happily chatted with us all the way back to Base.we have been with other operators and were so pleased we chose Owhango Adventures. No dramas and would choose Grant and team anytime, and take advantage of the free accommodation offer at the Tavern too. Thanks once again, Nigel

Thank you Grant, Pat and co for your hospitality and looking after us on our Whanganui River Journey.

Accommodating, personable, great company, 10/10, do recommend

We booked a Guided trip and this was a life changing experience for our group! I can't recommend them enough. We also had a Rongoa expert come with us on our 3 day trip at our request and expense and that was TOTALLY worth it. We learnt so much and now have a great understanding and respect for natural remedies. We will be going again!

Grant is the greatest G-unit of all time.
Had an absolute chur tu-meke of a time and couldn't give Owhango adventures enough praise. If you want to do the Whanganui Journey, look no further.

We had the 3-day guided river adventure with Willy as our host/guide. The weather was beginning to look dodgy for day 2 but we were assured that safety, being of utmost importance was a key priority. The trip was absolutely aswesome and the rain (whilst we were a little uncomfortable at times) turned out to be a real bonus with the river flowing well and the spectacular waterfalls out in full force. Willy is an exceptional host and looked after all our needs, being knowledgeable and helpfult throughout and how he produces first class food whilst cooking on various 'primitive' facilities was a revelation. The Owhango hotel is a little dated but the homely hospitality and typical 'kiwi country pub' made up for this. Extremely good value for money and highly recommended.