Hamilton Gardens

A grey afternoon but there was a lot to admire at Hamilton Gardens. We explored the enclosed gardens, different types developed over 4,000 years and different civilisations. Above part of a Japanese garden.

  

Indian garden.

At the entrance to the Maori Te Parapara gardens...

...this shows kumera growing and a storehouse.

Something completely different - a Tudor knot garden

The Saucy Sue

The Mansfield Garden, an early 20th century garden as described in The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

One of the newer gardens, the ancient Egyptian

And the surreal...

These strange trees have branches that move around (and me by the spade!)

And finally, the tropical garden.

There are 17 enclosed gardens altogether. This is just some of them.

 

Smash Palace

Early morning at Raetihi, grocery shopping after a night parked at the Cosmopolitan Club, where we got showers, etc...

then on to Horopito, where we found Crash Palace, world famous in New Zealand because of the movies Goodbye Pork Pie and Crash Palace.

This is a wreckers yard/museum/ car parts emporium and more!

Despite piles of cars in the paddocks, some have to be crushed as this one is.

 

The Bridge to Nowhere

 The bridge known as 'the bridge to nowhere' is far up the Whanganui River. It was built in 1935 for a road that was never constructed - to open up access for the settlers who were farming there. We drove from Whanganui up the River Road to Pipiriki, where we had a tour by jet boat.

At Pipiriki...

our driver/guide. Thomas, picks us up.

The river trip takes about an hour.

Then there's a 50 min walk through bush to the bridge.

There's Malcolm on the bridge - there was no-one else ther when we arrived.

And there's me. :-)

Malcolm took this photo from a view point higher up...

That's him, the white dot in the higher dip in the trees.

Then it was another river trip - not in canoes, haha!

Driving back we stopped at Jerusalem, a Catholic nunnery founded in the early 1800s.

The church interior included a Maori Madonna, carving and panels.

We also checked out a restored flour mill.

The paddle steamer Waimarie - and a tram ride

We boarded at 10.30 for the 11.00 sailing, a two hour return trip.

First there were boatsheds and rowing clubs, then we cruised through peaceful autumn scenery.

Back in Whanganui we had a tram ride on Mabel, 110 years old, lovingly restored.