wanganui i-site visitor information centre

A modern I-site with lots of good information about the local area. Very friendly and helpful staff. Stop here first for a local map.

Whanganui gets such a bad rap from New Zealanders and the more ignorant tourists. Yet it is a city that is chock full of interesting things to experience, if one is prepared to look. We love it. The i-Site is a great place to start. Very central, very busy, very informative. Mud Ducks cafe next door is quite good too (see my review). And on Saturday mornings there is a very good local market on the river bank from 9.00am until 1.00pm sharp. Make sure you visit the stall operated by Whanganui's mayor, Annette Main. She makes delicious food (try, for example, her triple dip and her dessert in a jar). Also buy some of the lovely Rewena bread (Maori bread made from potato flour) that is available in the market. For a nice trip on the lower River, take the paddle steamer, Waimarie. But even better, take a jet boat ride to the Bridge to Nowhere.

We can only endorse what other reviewers have said about the staff at the Visitor Centre. Friendly, helpful & informative. On their recommendation we visited the Durie Hill Elevator & the lovely Virginia Lake. We were also able to book the paddle steamer trip on the Wanganui River after being told online that it wasn't running on the days we were there, so glad we asked.Have to agree with a previous reviewer about the cafe. We arrived about 3.45 pm & decided to have a coffee & a muffin & were informed that they would be soon be closing. They reluctantly served us & we did manage to eventually get a smile out of the staff member who brought our order to us. I would have to say that if staff look & act as if they don't want to be there then maybe it's time to take a hard look at management. Such a contrast from the service at the Visitor Centre

A visit to the geothermal activities area south of Auckland is well worth the drive. The steep trail takes you down past steaming rivers and the boiling mud and some amazing crystal formations. The smell is not so intense as to be a bother and wafts out of hair and clothes by the time you have had a browse through the gift shop after the free bus drives you back up the hill.

Hi Amanada – Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of the Whanganui i-SITE Visitor Centre – we really appreciate your feedback on your time here! It is great that you enjoyed the ambience here – and the little car – which has been a big hit – but we are saddened that your experience was not so great at the Mud Ducks Café. Although in such close proximity, Mud Ducks Café is not actually part of the Whanganui i-SITE, but rather shares the same building - and it has its own review site here: http://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Restaurant_Review-g255370-d2659889-Reviews-Mud_Ducks-Wanganui_Manawatu_Wanganui_Region_North_Island.html. We apologise for the confusion and can appreciate how the aesthetics of the building seem to ‘merge’ the two; However; for just these reasons, a poor experience at Mud Ducks is critical for us to be aware of and dealt with. We have spoken to Mud Ducks management who have asked if you would consider moving the appropriate part of your review from our feedback page to their feedback page so they can respond accordingly.We are glad that you seem to have had a positive experience at the i-SITE, and once again, thank you for taking the time to place this feedback!

I had a very good advice for a scenic route to Hamilton. The route suggested was through the National Park. The weather is great, the route more than beautful. Thank you all.

Visiting Wanganui and looking for Freedom camp site, very helpful staff at Isite, pointed me in right direction and provided me with a map

I have visited I-Site on a number of occasions organising numerous adventures both outside of and within Wanganui. These guys have always gone above and beyond to help me organise the most suitable accommodation, recreation and transport options for my needs. Additionally, the staff are always friendly and approachable and the centre itself is lovely. Thank you, 10/10, do recommend you to friends and family.

Good displays and worthy cafe. Staff helpful with local information. Conveniently located near river attractions and tramway. Also close to weekend market and CBD.

Like many I-site visitor centres we found staff at this one very informative and pleasant. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble. Appreciated the courtesy.

The service was amazing AnneMarie answeredc all our questions and gave us great advice on making the most of our visit We took her advice on the journey up Whanganui River -it was a highlight

Dropped by the i-Site centre on a Sunday on 30 Nov to pick up brochures and explore what activities we could do in the short afternoon we had while staying in Wanganui. Enquired at the information desk about Ward Observatory and was disappointed to learn that they only open on Friday nights for the public. Debra (if I remember her name correctly), saw our disappointed looks and upon learning that we were only there for the day, said she would see if it was possible for us to get to see the observatory. She surprised us by immediately calling the person in-charge of the observatory to see if they could specially open the place for us seeing we were leaving the next morning. We were already so impressed that she would take the effort to make a special phone call for us but hearing her trying to persuade the person in-charge was amazing! It was already mid afternoon on a Sunday and we really did not expect anyone to want to work on a Sunday night to accommodate 2 tourists. But guess what? The person actually agreed (kudos to Debra's persuasive powers!), and asked us to get in touch with him directly to make the arrangements. Of course it was subject to the cloud cover that night, but we were already so impressed with such amazing "go-beyond-the-call-of duty" service. In addition, she gave us recommendations as to what we could do for the rest of the afternoon eg. seeing the Winter Garden at Virginia Lakes and the closing times. Debra (apologies if we got yr name wrong), thank you so much for going out of your way to truly make our short stay in Wanganui so special. We will eventually forget some parts of our trip to NZ, but such exceptional service such as yours will remain in our memories and we will tell our friends about this. Thank you Debra and i-Site Wanganui! Out of all the "i" (information places) we have visited in the world, your is tops in our mind!

Friendly staff with great advice. Lovely funky building right on the river in town with one of the best cafes I went to in NZ. Delicious food and sublime coffee. Go get some brochures and mull over them sipping great coffee in little rocking chairs overlooking the magnificent wanganui river. GO see the beach with a camera! Put your ipad on the sand and watch what happens! Black sand and driftwood make for an eerie experience but a photographers dream

The lady here was so pleasant and couldn't have been more helpful. We found out loads about the town and the area and the things there are to do and see as well as special events going on. There are loads of helpful, free maps, leaflets and timetables. Go there! It'll enhance your visit to this lovely town

Nicely set out, good supply of information, friendly staff.We booked our Whanganui River Adventure here, and got maps of the town and camping advice.