Whanganui

By Jen.

Another rainy NZ day gave us the idea to do laundry. So, we went towards Whanganui town. We finished in time for lunch, so in an effort to save battery on a rainy day and do something a bit different, we decided to eat out for lunch.

After lunch, the rain had lessened quite a bit. So, we made our way downtown to check out some of the sites. We made a wander past an old steamboat that used to chug up and down the river before decent roads and railways were developed. The boat has quite a history and has even sunk once.

The river was particularly high from the rain and had even covered the walkway next to the river. I almost slipped on the mud on the walkway while trying to take this picture.

By the time we wandered back around to the Glassworks gallery and workshop, a paperweight-making class was starting up, so after viewing the wonderful works of art they had on display, we sat down to watch the magic.

With the weather holding cloudy but mostly dry, we decided to try the Durie Hill Elevator and a visit to the War Memorial Tower. The elevator is a a unique one, built inside a hill and accessed via a long tunnel.

The elevator was a fancy old one.

It takes you up to the foot of the War Memorial Tower.

Haha, “hooter.” While technically correct, sounds ridiculous.

Whanganui town is at the mouth of the Whanganui River, the longest navigable river in NZ.

From the town, we decided to drive north through the national park.

 

We stayed at the one and only campground on that road. But, when trying to find a spot to park, we got stuck in the wet grass. So, Jonathan decided he would try out the chains.

They used to have a water wheel powering a flour mill.

Fun Fact: We have found it interesting that in NZ municipal water is not required to be chlorinated or fluorinated. It has to meet certain criteria in health inspections, but if it does that without the need to chlorinate, it isn’t done. Christchurch is a large town here that is very proud of the fact that they have “pure,” non-chlorinated water. But, this has presented issues. The earthquakes that have rocked the city since 2011 have fractured the well heads, creating an opportunity for contamination. This is despite previously having deaths linked to water  contamination that wasn’t caught quick enough. When this was discovered, they actually had to have a debate on whether they would ruin their pure water with chlorination for the safety of the public. They did finally approve a chlorination treatment, but it is really interesting to see how many people still oppose it. Personally, I like my water chlorinated and fluorinated.