Out Of Range: Working in Wanganui

Hello there!

my last post was over 2 weeks ago and so I thought it is time for a new one. In fact, it did not happen that much in this time. From Taupo, I took the bus to Wanganui. As there was no direct service, I had to change the bus and I was worried a bit because the first bus had a delay of 45 minutes but Intercity, the bus company, is quite good organized and so it was no problem and I almost arrived on time in Wanganui (or Whanganui). There, I stayed for about two and a half weeks at the same hostel because I worked there in exchange for accommodation. So I could save some money and relax a bit. The work was not so exciting, it was a bit of cleaning and gardening...but 2 hours a day was not too bad!

Unfortunately, there is not so much to do in Wanganui. And as it is not so touristic, there are also not so many backpackers and most people are just staying for one night, or maybe two. Some days were quite boring, others were quite nice as I explored the town a bit, either alone or with some other travellers. Last weekend I met Sam, a guy from Belgium. We have visited the Virginia Lake together, a nice park in the city of Wanganui with a lake and some walking trails around. It was nice to meet him and maybe we gonna meet each other again on the South Island, as he just arrived and he plans to stay for a whole year in New Zealand!

Besides the Virginia Lake, I visited the beach in Castlecliff, a suburb of Wanganui. I have also been on the memorial tower where you have quite a good view of the city and I visited the Wanganui Regional Museum. The main street in Wanganui is the Victoria Avenue, a nice street with a lot of shops and restaurants where I have strolled around several times. I also took the bike to explore the city a bit as there are free bikes available at the hostel. Besides that, there is not much to do though and I used the time to do some other things, like getting my hair cut, going to the cinema and doing some sports. It was a nice place to go running along the Wanganui river and do some exercises in the nearby park. I am missing the food from home and so I had self-made onion roast with spätzle on one day. See the pictures below, it looks good, huh?

That's it for now. The journey continues. I am glad the time is over here and I am now excited to go to Wellington tomorrow where I stay a couple of days until it's time to leave the North Island and explore the South Island.

Enjoy the pictures!

Wanganui river time lapse

view onto Wanganui river and town