Meaning & use
Whanganui
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounproper
A river and city on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it takes no article: 'We drove to Whanganui,' not 'the Whanganui' for the city.
Patterns
- live in Whanganui
- the Whanganui River
- travel to Whanganui
Her grandparents farm just outside Whanganui.
The Whanganui River is one of the longest in the country.
They moved to Whanganui for work last year.
Common combinations
- the Whanganui River
- Kayaking the Whanganui River takes several days.
- in Whanganui
- There is a good art gallery in Whanganui.
- near Whanganui
- The weather was wet near Whanganui all week.
- the Whanganui region
- Dairy farming is important in the Whanganui region.
- travel to Whanganui
- It is a three-hour drive if you travel to Whanganui from the south.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Wanganui
- An older, still-seen spelling of the same place name; official use now favors 'Whanganui'.
Word family
- Whanganui proper noun
- Also used in the names of local institutions, such as the Whanganui District Council.
Commonly confused: Whanganui or Waitangi?
Whanganui vs Waitangi
Both are New Zealand Māori place names, but Waitangi is in the far north and is linked to the 1840 treaty.
Practice
Which sentence uses the place name correctly?
Choose one answer.
'In Whanganui' is the normal pattern for naming a town you stay in. Adding 'the' before a city name is wrong, and 'on Whanganui' would only suit a river or a street.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Whanganui”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.