After two 20 minute hikes in Tongoriro Natinal Park, Lori and I headed west towards New Plymouth. One suggested way to get there is via the Forgotten World Highway.
This is the long scenic route which is a windy two lane road through rolling green hills and sheep pastures. When I pictured New Zealand in my mind, this is exactly how I imagined it would look like. We chose a good day for the Forgotten World Highway; the sun on the green hills was magnificent. Apparently, it’s not a commonly used road, and we saw, on average, one car per hour. However, we did have to stop twice for wondering livestock on the road. Damper Falls was an attract
ion along the way. We had to get off the main road and travel about 14 kilometers on a gravel road. Since I had been driving all day, I decided to let Lori take over for awhile, thinking that I would be able to get a little break. However, Lori was behind the wheel less than five minutes before she started fish-tailing the car in the gravel! We did get to Damper Falls in one piece; however, I didn’t get much of a relaxing ride. Lori has not been allowed to drive since then. Her role is solely navigator now.
ion along the way. We had to get off the main road and travel about 14 kilometers on a gravel road. Since I had been driving all day, I decided to let Lori take over for awhile, thinking that I would be able to get a little break. However, Lori was behind the wheel less than five minutes before she started fish-tailing the car in the gravel! We did get to Damper Falls in one piece; however, I didn’t get much of a relaxing ride. Lori has not been allowed to drive since then. Her role is solely navigator now.Along the Forgotten World Highway, way we came to the village of Whangamomona. Apparently, this town had some disagreements with the local council, so they declared themselves an independent republic. This republic boasts a hotel/pub, an outdoor toilet and it’s own beer. At one time it had a goat as it’s president. Lori and I made su
re we would get there by dinnertime so we could eat at the famous Whangamomona Hotel, but we found out they stopped serving food at 2:00 PM. The waitress grudgingly warmed up some frozen pies (savory meat pies) for us, and then we carried on our journey. By this time it was dark and it took us several hours on the windy road to get to the end of the Forgotten World Highway. By this time Lori and I were tired and hungry and needed a place to stay, so we stopped at the first town we came to, Stratford. Lori sent me into the motel to bargain on some room prices (which I didn't do, who bargains prices at motels?) and then we went looking for food at the nearest pizza place. Here, we found out miniature gherkins on pizza is not our favorite topping!
re we would get there by dinnertime so we could eat at the famous Whangamomona Hotel, but we found out they stopped serving food at 2:00 PM. The waitress grudgingly warmed up some frozen pies (savory meat pies) for us, and then we carried on our journey. By this time it was dark and it took us several hours on the windy road to get to the end of the Forgotten World Highway. By this time Lori and I were tired and hungry and needed a place to stay, so we stopped at the first town we came to, Stratford. Lori sent me into the motel to bargain on some room prices (which I didn't do, who bargains prices at motels?) and then we went looking for food at the nearest pizza place. Here, we found out miniature gherkins on pizza is not our favorite topping!
1 comment:
I believe I have been unfairly represented in this post. I think I was behind the wheel for at least 7 minutes before the fishtailing began!
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