Onward to Wanganui

We also attempted to make it up the ski-lift to the top of Ruapehu with my parents and the Gilberts...as with Patrick's parents, the weather squelched our plans. It was cold and rainy in Tongariro National Park, so we stopped at the visitors center to read about the volcanoes. I guess we'll never make it up until we're actually riding it to go skiing!!

As you can see above...the first portion of the Wanganui visit was rainy again...We took them to a rainy Farmer's Market and around town to see the sites. Here's Mom looking off of the World War I Memorial in Wanganui...the views were not as fantastic this day, but if you look below, the weather quickly improved! You can see where the Whanganui River meets the ocean off in the distance. Our house is just to the right of the river about half-way down. Not too shabby, eh?

This sign in the tower just cracks me up -- Mind the Hooter!

We made a trip back on the sunnier day to ride the old elevator up from the downtown area to Durie Hill. The Durie Hill Elevator did for Wanganui what the Cable Car did for Wellington. The elevator lets out at the base of the WWI Memorial, which is situated at the top of Durie Hill, so you get similar views without having to climb the steps!

Here are the guys enjoying the views from the top of the Elevator on a sunny day. We could see Taranaki that day, but not quite far enough to see the mountains in Tongariro!


SURPRISE!! Mom and Papa's dear friends, Roger and Lorraine, just happened to be staying in Marton, about 35 minutes drive from Wanganui, where Roger does locums work as a GP every year...so we all met up for dinner in Wanganui! What a small world. And it's a funny thing to be an ER doc accepting a patient in transfer from your father's med school roomate, while you're working in New Zealand! It was so good for us all to catch up with old friends.

We had to take a field trip to the ED/hospital in Wanganui...here's our "Resusc 1" room - One of our two "Big Rooms" or "Front Rooms" as we say in Denver. Mom and Ines took a bunch of pictures of the Maternity Ward, but I haven't been able to up-load them...But, come on! Everyone knows this is where the real fun is!

Here's a picture of the driveway and front entrance to my ED. Good thing about working in the ED at any hospital, it's always really easy to find -- Follow the big red signs!!