Marshall said it would be “fantastic” for herself and Whanganui if Whanganui Tours won this year.
“There’s a lot of people here that work really hard in promoting the area and tourism, and for our iwi, it [would] be really good.”
Whanganui Tours offers cycle and canoe excursions along the awa, with its famous Original Mail Tour where visitors join postie Marshall as she makes deliveries along Whanganui River Road’s scenic rural mail route.
The unique tour has put the small business on New Zealand’s tourism map, blending historical sites with stories from life on the awa, marae visits and offering a glimpse at rural New Zealand life – including the route’s quirky DIY mailboxes, handmade from items ranging from old, retrofitted microwaves to kayaks.
Whanganui Tours co-owner Tracy Marshall delivering mail to a mailbox made from an old microwave on Whanganui River Rd in 2024. Photo / NZME
NZ Tourism Awards judges highlighted Whanganui Tours’ direct benefits to the wider Whanganui community while connecting visitors to “people and place”, with the awa’s influence on its operations.
“We operate on Te Awa Tupua. It’s our ancestors, it’s our stories, it’s our whenua. It’s told our way as well,” Marshall said.
They also recognised the “solid” statistics Whanganui Tours provided, demonstrating growth and how it achieved it.
“I collaborate with my cousin who does canoe trips as well,” she said.
“That’s been a huge input, us collaborating together. And that’s created a lot of growth [for Whanganui Tours].”
Andracic said it was “terrific to be recognised for the work you do”.
Winners will be announced at the New Zealand Tourism Awards Dinner at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on November 4.
This year’s awards had a record 177 entries across 12 categories, beating last year’s record of 150.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram said the increased entries were a sign of a “thriving” tourism industry.
“We’re delighted with the record number of entries received from a range of individuals and tourism businesses across the country,” Ingram said.
“It shows that people in the industry are proud of what they’ve achieved over the past year.”
There were many first-time entrants and new operators this year, she said.
“The judges remarked that the quality of the applications has also been extremely high, with more applicants taking the time to provide solid evidence to back their entries.”
Erin Smith is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.