And the views just keep going on...

So today we left Tongariro and headed south as our time on North Island is quickly drawing to a close. We took SH4 which is not the most straightforward route to Wanganui, where we had decided to stop for lunch, but it is very picturesque. It just goes to show how little traffic you encounter in New Zealand once you leave behind the areas of population. In 70+ miles from Whakapapa to Wanganui we only had to pull over three times (good manners when you are trundling along in a motorhome) for about six cars! It is a pity that Tony the driver was not able to fully appreciate this countryside in the districts of Ruahepu and Wanganui as it was so very different to other parts of the country and very beautiful. We did wonder how green it would get in the spring time, perhaps our NZ friends can tell us? I particularly like the planting of the tall poplar like trees which appear to crown hilltops and made me think of the Tuscan landscape. This was sheep country and it must be shearing time because we passed hundreds on our drive brought down from the hills. At one point they were all woolly on one side of the road and buck naked on the other!
There were also plenty of beehives, would this be the famous Manuka honey area too?
Reminder to Wendy and Tony: when you decide to go to the I Site first, do so. We had our first disappointing lunch in Wanganui because we spotted this English type pub on our walk to the information place, big mistake. When we arrived at the I Site it had an excellent cafe and free wi fi so we did some catching up for a while.
Then it was further south to our overnight camp here at a proper site at Foxton Beach Holiday Camp. Tony and I have the full facilities (and they are excellent!) of the motorhome field to ourselves. We arrived to a warm welcome, parked up and had a long walk along the beach, paddling in the Tasman Sea, talking to fishermen who caught two fish on cue as we passed - that was dinner sorted for them! Now we are online with the door of the van open and the sun going down, birds calling from the estuary in front of our van, wonderful. All it needs is a glass of wine, ah I will just top it up!