It's only about 200 kilometres from Wellington to Whanganui. On the way we stop at the Kapiti Chocolate Factory, well, it wasn't a chocolate factory but a Belgian couverture factory.
Kapiti Beach with Kapiti Island in the background.
Castlecliff Beach and view of Whanganui from the pier.
Mount Taranaki
Or Mt Egmont, an extinct volcano 2,518 metres high and last active in 1854. The impressive thing is that it stands in a wide plain and is clearly visible from everywhere. And yes, we had a fantastic day.
The road leads to Stratford Plateau Lookout at 1172 metres, it was quite chilly up here. The view of the plain and the volcano is really beautiful.
With the zoom, you can even see the peak of Mount Ruapehu, 130 kilometres away.
It's another 340 kilometres to the Hobbiton™ movie set tomorrow and we're staying at a farm nearby.
Heya - it's a rough country/climate but seems to be beautiful 🙂
Say hello to Gandalf too, not just the hobbits 😉
Monti