Thursday 17th April
Anne here . . .
Just before we left Wellington, I discovered feijoas . . . I had never heard of them before. In case you are wondering, they are very common fruits for New Zealand. They are unlike anything else I have had but I will try to describe them . . . Sort of like a cross between a pear and a kiwi fruit, a close cousin of the guavas (I have never had a guava either) with a grainy texture. Anyway very tasty.
So sadly goodbye to Wellington.
It is absolutely pouring with rain, sadly, as the scenery is stunning. Yes we did pick State highway (SH) 2, the scenic route and we have driven through fantastic hills, deep gorges, stunning valleys, rural towns and fertile farming plains. I was under the misapprehension that the scenery in the North Island was more boring than the South Island but so far that definitely isn’t my experience.
We are just passing through the absolutely stunning Manawatu gorge. The river is really full after the rain of the last few days and the views are just breath-taking. The hills that have lots (over 100?) wind turbines on the top, which is a reminder that New Zealand’s energy is very ecologically friendly and they are very proud to be non-nuclear.