25.12.19 From Whangamomona to Himatangi Beach

A Christmas night under such a beautiful starry sky will surely stay in my memory forever. I have breakfast until just before 9, chat a bit with other campers who are actually English but grew up in South Africa, then lived in Sweden, UK, and Germany, and have now 'arrived' in New Zealand. Yes, I can somehow understand that 😉

The first 60km continue on the Forgotten World Hwy, until I reach Stratford, which is something like civilization. Here, they have tried to architecturally connect to the city in England that gave it its name.

Well, you can see a Tudor-style tower, but everything else is closed. Christmas Day is probably the only day when everything is closed, except for a few Asians or some gas stations. I turn south, as a detour to Taranaki - as beautiful as this mountain is - only makes sense if the weather is clear. But it has been very cloudy since this morning and I won't see Taranaki as beautiful as I did 5 years ago when I circled it. Whanganui is my next destination, a pretty city about 1 hour drive away. The landscape is now flatter and less interesting.

However, many Pohutukawas impress me, these red blooming trees that are in full bloom around Christmas. There are also many huge hydrangeas to be seen.

I wanted to visit Whanganui again, as I liked the cityscape with Art Deco and other architectural styles back then. However, the entire place is in complete Christmas silence, so I can't even get a coffee. Even something like McDonald's or Burger King - fortunately very rarely seen - is closed. I briefly drive to Drurie Hill, where a tower commemorates fallen soldiers, but I'm more interested in the view of Taranaki or Mount Ruapehu. 5 years ago, the view from up here was so great that you could see these mountains. Not today. So I check the weather forecast and then decide to give up my plan to drive inland and focus on the West Coast for today.

I make a phone reservation for a pitch at a campground in a relatively unknown place and leave Whanganui at around half past three. The route is good and fast to drive, no mountains, not many curves.

At 4:30 pm, I arrive at Himatangi Beach on the dark beach of Tasman Bay. Just 150m behind the campground is the endless beach, which unfortunately can also be driven on by stinking cars and motorcycles.

I actually got the second to last pitch. When I come back from a walk on the beach at half past six, it's already 'no vacancy'. It's too cold at the beach without a light jacket. However, it's still 21°C at 6 pm, but the breeze makes it chilly. Now there are leftovers from yesterday, the sun is fighting its way through the clouds at 8 pm, so I might get to see a sunset 🌇. 🤞🏼