It was another early morning on the road on Day Six of our travels,
the penultimate day of our Road Trip.
One of our group is a dedicated fan of Elvis Presley, so a
stop at the Elvis Presley Museum in Hawera was an absolute must-see. It was so interesting that I will write a
post about it tomorrow.
Also at Hawera is this fabulous concrete water tower. Built in 1914 to provide water for the local
fire brigade, it now has an interesting sign at its base that reads:
“Welcome to the historic Hawera water tower. This is a strenuous climb of 215 steps taking
approximately 10 minutes and is done so at your own risk. Entry fee applies and is payable at the Information
Centre.”
We never climbed it!
Manaia, it seems, is a Bread Capital. I am unsure quite what that is meant to mean,
but this small town can boast a bakery that was established 97 years ago.
They say you learn something new every day, and this day I discovered
that the great athlete Sir Peter Snell, famous for his running achievements, was
born here in Opunake in 1938. He died in
2019 in Dallas, Texas.
On our way to New Plymouth, we chose to drive around the longer
but more scenic coastal road, known as the Surf Highway as there are several
good surfing breaks along the route.
It is seldom safe for swimming though, as much of the coast is
prone to ferocious ocean swells and fierce storms. Its rugged beauty belies how dangerous it can
be.
Loving lighthouses as we all did, we simply had to detour to
see the Cape Egmont Lighthouse. There
has been a light shining out from here since 1881, to warn passing ships of the
hazardous coastline.
It was a beautiful day for traveling, with blue skies and
sunshine most of the time.
Tune in tomorrow for our visit to Elvis Presley!
Margaret 😊
Looks like you had good weather.
ReplyDeleteThat water tower is quite a good looking structure. I wouldn't have the energy to climb those 215 steps though, also I don't like heights. Nice that the weather was lovely.
ReplyDeleteOh what a wonderful day you had Margaret - I didn't get around to the other side of the Mountain this weeekend - just Inglewood and Stratford and one garden :)
ReplyDeleteStay safe
Blessings
Maxine
Hope you had a good time away Maxine :)
DeleteF loves the tower. You guys really got around on this trip.
ReplyDelete215 steps!!! No, thank you! I had 20km on my fitness-tracker, but that was without any stairs!
ReplyDeleteWonder how your bread is like?
Hm. Elvis. I´ll see what you got, but I think it was pre-me. He made a good "appearance" at the movie "Forrest Gump", though...
Hello,
ReplyDeleteDid you change you header, the flowers are beautiful! The Elvis Museum looks like a cool place to visit. I like the water tower, it is an interesting design. The coastal road and lighthouse are my favorite scenes. Very pretty. Take care, enjoy your day. Have a great new week!
The flowers were in the Winter Garden at Whanganui's Virginia Lake. I love their colour :)
DeleteLove your new header, so full of colour.
ReplyDeleteThank-you Marlene :)
DeleteThose giant loaves are in keeping with what seems to be a NZ customs of erecting giant representations of whatever the town is renowned for. I am amazed that there would be an Elvis Presley museum in far off New Zealand. Just goes to show......
ReplyDeleteI love your water towers! I am enjoying your photos from your trip.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a perfect day, with interesting stops along the way. Thank you for taking us along. I look forward to Elvis.
ReplyDeleteFun!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy November!
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
You have sure seen many beautiful and interesting things on your road trip. I would love to take a trip like that. My sister and I both were big Elvis fans. Yes, we were some of the crying screaming teenagers back when Elvis became famous. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, the memories! :)
Deleteawesome I did the trip with you but am enjoying your photos and story :)
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun :)
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