Through Whanganui to the Tongariro National Park

After hanging out at the beach, it was time to move on. We initially headed inland towards Palmerston North, through a gorge and back over a winding road through the mountains towards the coast. It was actually a nice tour, except the weather was rather poor, especially as it was quite windy. We set up our tent for one night in Whanganui, right near the river mouth into the sea. At first, it sounds nice, but it wasn't that great. The drive past many run-down houses and a cat food factory was quite strange, and the campground itself was pretty rundown. Well, at least it was quiet, we slept well, and for one night it was okay.

The next day, we went to Whakapapa Village in the Tongariro National Park. We drove through the beautiful and quite deserted valley of the Whanganui River towards the northeast on a narrow and winding road. We stopped for a visit at the Jerusalem Monastery. It was quite busy here, as there was a tour bus in the courtyard with seniors having their picnic lunch at this beautiful place. And of course, as soon as we parked the motorcycles, the small talk started and we were offered a cup of coffee. Motorcycles from Germany probably don't stop there very often.

The monastery and the associated church are made of wood and are nestled among the green hills. Martin still remembered that he stayed here on his New Zealand bike tour 16 years ago, because there was no camping site or hostel anywhere nearby. We visited the church and enjoyed the view. Then we continued along the river and finally on main roads to our destination. It was a beautiful day of motorcycle riding, without any wind or rain.