Manawatū-Whanganui meets the sea on a long west coast of sand between the Whanganui River mouth and the Manawatū River estuary at Foxton Beach. It is MPI Central area water, has no LINZ standard port of its own and, on DOC’s list, no marine reserve on this stretch.
Reports current for Thursday, 8 October
Every one of the 2 Manawatū-Whanganui waters we cover has a live read this morning. They are all sitting in the middle of the scale today. Water is around 14 °C. Pressure is holding steady on most of them, so the day comes down to water temperature and wind. 1 has a better-than-even chance of rain.
Best right now: Foxton Beach 3/5, Whanganui 3/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
A river-mouth city with council-listed fishing beaches at Castlecliff, South Beach, Kai Iwi and Ototoka, two riverside fishing platforms upstream of the North Mole, and a launching ramp on Wharf Street.
A Manawatū River town; at Foxton Beach, Horowhenua District Council names the river estuary as a favourite spot for fishing and boating.
Species activity across the covered waters, written for the southern year. Peak of the year: January.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for the dominant water type here, in degrees Celsius (estimated, not a reading).
Read from the agency page named on each row, on the date shown, and calculated for 2026 from the rule as written: a date written as a day of the week is computed, not copied. Species with no published closure are not listed, which is not the same as open.
| Fishery | 2026 | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitebait season | Open 2026-09-01 to 2026-10-30 | Whitebaiting is allowed only from 1 September to 30 October inclusive, 5 am to 8 pm (6 am to 9 pm in daylight saving). The West Coast has its own gear rules, not different dates. | Department of Conservation, whitebaiting regulations, read 2026-10-07 |
| Scallop season | Open 2026-07-15 to 2027-02-14 | Scallop season 15 July to 14 February. | Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, read 2026-10-07 |
| Water | Type | Live data | Peak month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whanganui fishing report | Coast | modelled tide | Jan |
| Foxton Beach fishing report | Coast | modelled tide | Jan |
Whanganui District Council points anglers to Castlecliff, Kai Iwi (Mowhanau) and Ototoka beaches and to South Beach, about 20 km of sand at low tide where it advises a 4x4. Down the coast, Horowhenua District Council describes the Manawatū estuary at Foxton Beach as a Ramsar site for migrating birds, with a jetty by the Manawatū Marine Boating Club that it suggests for children learning to fish.
The coast follows MPI’s Central rules. Blue cod are managed under the Taranaki to Tītahi Bay area, rock lobster under the combined limit of six (no more than three packhorse) that applies south of the Wairoa River, and the west coast set-net restrictions run along this shore.
LINZ refers the Whanganui River entrance, Waitarere Beach and the Manawatū River entrance to Port Taranaki, and publishes a daily table for the Whanganui River entrance.
Two Fish & Game regions share the area. Taranaki Fish & Game covers the Whanganui fisheries, the Ruapehu rivers and Lake Wiritoa near Whanganui; Wellington Fish & Game’s Manawatū-Rangitīkei district takes in the Rangitīkei and Manawatū rivers, which it says carry both brown and rainbow trout.
MPI’s Central area rules, the same set used from Cape Runaway round to Tīrua Point. The place pages show the limits and closures.
From Port Taranaki, the standard port LINZ uses for the Whanganui and Manawatū river entrances and Waitarere Beach.
Whanganui’s fisheries are looked after by Taranaki Fish & Game, the Manawatū and Rangitīkei by Wellington Fish & Game. Either way the licence is a Fish & Game one, and the sea needs no licence.
The facts on this page were checked against these pages, from the agencies, park services and operators that manage the water on 7 October 2026; anything we could not verify was taken out.