Wanganui, New Zealand

11.03.2011 19 °C
View New Zealand on Ms Chris's travel map.

The day saw us driving through Shirley's home stomping grounds. We spent the night Taumarunui and once we were all up and showered we headed to a familiar spot for breakfast....McDonalds!!! They do have a very interesting menu here in NZ. Can't say that it is much more healthy than their Canadian counterpart, but it was fast, hot and tasty. They serve "fancy ketchup" in the usual Mickey D packages....it is made in the US and shipped over. John and I were both very pleased to get regular filtered coffee. It still eludes us how to order it to get what it is that we want. It has been cause for many chuckles along the way, and for the most part all our coffee servers are very good humoured about it.
We did the main street stroll of the town with Shirley. She recounted many memories along the way and tells us that not much has changed at all over the years. There were the usual cafe and bakery type places along with the take aways that are everywhere. It never seems to vary much from town to town or cafe to cafe. They all serve the same type of pies, sausage rolls, sweets and sandwiches. It is getting to the point that a good home cooked meal is what would be the best thing we could come home to!!! I would even volunteer to cook!!!
Heading out of Taumarunui we were off to Owhango. Driving through the very small place that it is we were impressed that the homes are all very well looked after and very pleasing to the eye. Shirley's home where she grew up has changed a bit she says. There has been a front porch put on and she says it looks like what was used as their wood shed has been made part of the house. Other than that she said it looks the same except the colour is different. From there we took a drive to the "bush hole" where she and her Dad used to go at the Whakapapa River for trout fishing. This was a lovely place with a small rapids followed by calm pools all surrounded by natural growth forrest. In fact, it is in the National Forrest where there are only native trees. Alot of places has thousands upon thousands of pine trees planted for forrestry but here there are none. It is all very green, lush and beautiful.
Once you leave this area and travel south you come across the area where Lord of the Rings was filmed. The mountain where the Orgs were in the movie to be exact. We had planned on checking it out until we saw the brochure and discovered that it was $125.00 pp. Well, it was unanimous that we could see the mountain again in the video.....very costly to say the least!!!
Our home for the night is at Wanganui at a nice little place on the river. We ventured out into the city to grab a few items for supper....soup and toast was on the menu since none of us was very hungry. Well, you know how it works.....you go up this street, turn this corner and then another just to see what is there....and we found DOG RACING!!! Well, we were all in there in a flash, met a bunch of women who told us what we needed to do...and the betting was on!!! First race....John and Ray won.....Chris and Shirley got nothing. Second race....Ray and John won....Chris and Shirley got robbed....we were 3rd place with our dog (we bet the same) but because there were not 8 dogs in the race they were only paying 1st and 2nd....we came in 3rd. Rats!!!! It was all good fun.....we bet....we won....and figured that it only cost us about $4 in the end.
So that is about then end of our day here. Time to get off to bed. We have heard the news on TV about earthquake in Japan and the Tsumoni warnings. Please, our family and friends know that we are aware and that we are a long way from anywhere that may get some waves coming in. We will heed the warnings and not go to the beach to see the waves come in if they do!!! Unbelievable that some people would think to do that. Hope they don't have a reason to go watch them this time. Our thoughts are with the people of Japan. It is all over her the devestation in Christchurch and so sad that yet some place esle must suffer. I said at supper that the dry old prairies are looking pretty good right now!!!
Off to bed for us. Love to all!!!

Love
C, R, J & S