Whanganui wander

 A walking day today. Over the bridge to Victoria Avenue...watching the Waimarie start the 11am cruise..pointing downstream, and making a turn in the river where the ferry used to be, halfway between its mooring and the bridge, before heading upstream to turn at Upokongaro.

Holding onto my hat so that I wouldn't lose it to the wind!! (A NZ cricket hat...I need a new one for best, and this one can be promoted to Gardening Hat)

Then a wander up Victoria, doing this and that before getting a wrap for lunch...so much salad in it, they had a job to wrap it!!! Then a little fresh food shopping, a birthday card to post and home. All the time going from one  shady patch to another! Some places were forecast 30⁰ today, but I don't think that we have reached that..probably 25⁰.

For Fresca....I think Pirate was glad that they are closed until after the holidays!

I think that these are childminders..what is wrong with walking?!!!

Thinking of our house sitters travelling in cold and weather warning level wetness...and friends in the USA and Canada with several feet of snow..could be nasty if that melts quickly.

Now it's mid-afternoon and we are relaxing. 

I am out on the verandah..at first floor level...until the sun gets round and to my feet!!

Looking forward to the Whanganui Vintage weekend about the 20th of January!!

Bridge at Upokongaro

 We had a ride from our coach's house (keeping the bikes there is better, not in a car that could sit here getting very hot, and safer too) down to the Mountains to Sea path by Dublin Bridge ( sorry no photo yet!) and up through Papaiti to Upokongaro.

This was where there once was a ferry to Upokongaro. There was a shop, and there still is a school, café, pub and church.

When we left Whanganui in February 2020 everyone was eagerly awaiting the moving of the bridge from a field by the river....but last minute technical difficulties meant that we missed it!

It is beautiful...I am still not keen on heights...and drops....but I did ride over it, and on the return, held hands with a French tourist from Dijon to help her walk across... mutual assistance!!

A model of a Moa...the equivalent for this continent of and ostrich...but bigger!

And on our way back.... couldn't resist this...a postbox!!

It is a relief that this bridge is there...no need to ride for 10 km up the state highway!!

Local art, Castlecliff

 We rode our bikes over to Castlecliff Beach...but the café was closed...well, everyone needs a break. 

The sand there is black, and there are heaps of driftwood of all sizes. 

One man has a garden full....he has had to reduce his stockpile as there was a fire, and that spread to a neighbour's property! Other people have been doing the same, on a smaller scale, but this is his...I am sure that I put pictures on here during a previous visit.

There were sculptures in front of the library

There were murals on the library walls...

And the bus shelter

And on the dairy walls...

It is stunning...but typical of a place where being an artist is not weird!

We avoided the main road back to our coach's house...but found the new industrial area to be. It is understandable that it should be away from Tsunami prone zones....but it is sad to see both good farmland and wetland areas disappearing.

Motorbiking!!!!!

 We walked into town on Boxing Day, knowing that it would be full....the i-site first....

The best toilets in town! Usually with birdsong...but not that day.

Some beautiful permanent art..the history of the Whanganui Awa (river)

And upstairs the annual glass exhibition.

Lunch from Victoria Avenue, then over to the main attraction of the day....the Cemetery Circuit street motorcycle racing!!  Also meeting up with friends.

Thankfully it was hot and dry!! And naturally very noisy!!!!

We have been riding our bikes too...but more of that later!