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Day 49 - Outstanding Views

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In the morning we went to the Albany Caravan and Camping Show. It wasn't very big but it was interesting to see some Western Australian products. It was a pet-friendly event but it was too far for Coco to walk so he stayed in the car in the shade. The cold southerly wind kept the temperature down to 16°. We went back to the Gourmandise Café for lunch then I went touring the coast. Anita wanted a rest so Coco stayed with her, and Chris and Neen spent the afternoon locating the source of a water leak in their motorhome. The Gap and Natural Bridge are only half an hour's drive from our caravan park. The views are sensational. I paid the entry fee via a machine, but most people didn't bother. The lookout cantilevered over The Gap is supported by stainless steel beams, but it was scary walking beyond the rocks. There was no swell so not much splash as the waves rushed into the narrow gap in the rocks. Apparently when there is a big swell cars get wet in the car
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Len Lye Gallery

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Len Lye (1901-1980) was a New Zealand born film maker and artist, who was a pioneer in kinetic art. Some of his ideas have been constructed using modern technology. A carbon fibre rod is simply oscillated by an engine and creates different patterns. The second rod has alternate black and white stripes and is rotated at different speeds. The outside of the gallery is made from shiny curved metal sections. That's Anita in the bottom left corner. On the far left the gallery wall is reflecting the building across the road. The inside walls are concrete in the same shape as the outside panels. We took this weird selfie of ourselves reflected in the shiny wall. 
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Surf Highway 45

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We drove from Whanganui to New Plymouth via the coast road known as Surf Highway Route 45. These pictures were taken in Opunake. The interesting Everybody's Theatre was restored inside and out. There are several clever murals around town, and I liked the quirky surfboard fence. According to google maps we drove around Mount Taranaki, but we didn't see any 2500 metre volcano because of cloud. Instead we had to settle for the 150 metre high Paritutu Rock and the Sugar Loaf islands near New Plymouth. We are staying at the Nice Hotel. There is an eclectic collection of furniture and art works in the stairway and our room. Unfortunately this makes our room a bit crowded once we are in it with our luggage.
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Whanganui Waters

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Virginia Lake is only a kilometre from our motor lodge. It used to be the town's water supply, but after a better water storage facility was built the local council held a competition for a design for gardens around the lake. The Winter Garden has lots of colouful foliage in a glasshouse. At the mouth of the river there are two old breakwaters. The sea rolls onto a black sand beach covered with driftwood. There is a seaside holiday park for motorhomes and campers. Near the park there is yet another art deco style toilet block.
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Wanganui

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The town's name is spelt without an h, but the river is Whanganui. There have even been referenda about the spelling, with or without the h. Finally the powers that govern such things decreed either is acceptable for the name of the town. This must be a challenge for computer mapping programs and manufacturers of GPS guidance technology. These wonderful old buildings are in Victoria Avenue, down near the river. They date from the mid 1800s and have been well preserved. Earthquakes caused significant damage in 1843 and 1897, but not to the same extent as the destruction of much of Napier. In the past month there have been dozens of earthquakes rated weak to moderate in New Zealand and nearby waters, including a magnitude 4.1 quake 30 kms south of Wanganui (in the Cook Strait between the north and south islands). Fingers crossed there won't be another disastrous event.
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Drive Napier to Whanganui

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Our first stop was at the Hastings Farmers' Market, which is so popular it is held every Sunday - sun, rain or hail. The queues for coffee were too long for us to wait, but we bought two lovely croissants from a French baker's stall. We picked up coffees in town at the cinema cafe. Something we don't see at home is milk being sold in reusable bottles. It is decanted from a bulk container so is labour intensive. We stopped for lunch at Palmerston North. There are several wall murals in the city but none were very good. The art deco style "Ladies Rest" was built in 1937. Inside there are arm chairs in a lounge area, original tiles and some original plumbing. When first built it was just rendered, but the current colours work really well.
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Ahuriri and Hastings

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The historic village of Ahuriri is 5 minutes from Napier. It was the original port before the earthquake. These days it is home to the commercial fishing fleet and recreational boats. Restaurants and bars have taken over some of the old warehouses. My favorite art deco building is the National Tobacco Company building at Ahuriri. We walked around the nearby town of Hastings, which also boasts numerous art deco and Spanish mission style buildings. These grasses by the point grow in interesting swirly patterns.
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