Located in the Ruapehu District on the banks of the Whanganui and Retaruke Rivers, and surrounded by Whanganui National Park, Blue Duck Station is an outdoor enthusiast’s playground.
The station’s core values are to conserve its endangered wildlife, increase the health of native bush and rivers, and preserve the history of the area, while educating visitors about the endangered New Zealand blue duck, other native species and local history.
Whakahoro which is right at the heart of Blue Duck Station and also one of the starting points of
the Whanganui Journey has a very colourful history; both Maori and European and many
remnants of the first failed attempts to farm this land are still visible here.
Blue Duck Station is working to preserve this history through the plotting and restoration of the
historical features that remain.
Just beyond the Kaiwhakauka bridge sits the depot building; the store or depository for the area. Situated at the junction of three roads: Te Mata, Bridge to Nowhere and Kaiwhakauka, the Depot would have played an essential part in dissemination of supplies in the area. Goods would have been transported up the Whanganui River to Wades Landing at Whakahoro then brought along the Kaiwhakauka track by horse and cart to the depot. It is also likely that the Depot would have held social gatherings and supported a lot of whisky drinking! The Depot and Stan’s Whare, also on the station, make excellent picnic stops whilst tramping.
40 kilometres from the farm in Whanganui National Park lies the iconic Bridge to Nowhere. Sitting over the Mangapurua Gorge the concrete bridge was completed in 1936 to enhance access to one of the most remote valleys of the Upper Whanganui River. Seven years later however it become redundant as the settlers, mainly discharged servicemen from the First World War, abandoned the area. They had been valiantly trying to make a living from the inhospitable land for 24 years. Now a popular tourist attraction you can walk, mountain bike or jet boat to the Bridge from Whakahoro.
