Whanganui: Housework always needs doing, no matter where you are – house, flat, bungalow, campervan. We managed to find a laundromat and get all of the washing done before having some lunch. I won’t name and shame but the Turkish Eggs we had for lunch weren’t in my opinion, very authentic or pleasant. Two poached eggs on a bed of very runny yoghurt, with a splash of chilli oil for good measure and two slices of well-done toast on the side. Definitely not good value for money! Hey ho – not every lunch can be lovely. We have another little look around and decide to camp here for a second night at the Golf Club.

This city really is lovely. Some great street art, lots of little galleries and a glassworks where you can watch the artists blowing and creating their pieces. They also had a gallery – hands in pockets as the pieces were not cheap and the ‘break it you buy it’ would likely bankrupt me!

We head further down the coast and stop for lunch at Bulls. And yes, there are bulls – on nearly every corner! We stopped here on our first trip to NZ – see the link to Big Birthday Adventure – and we were keen to see if it had changed. It had. Back then, there were many shops who played on the towns name with their business name. Now, not so many. But still a few…

On to Foxton Beach. Endless sand. Driftwood. Moody skies. Gorgeous beach for walking and collecting driftwood – the would be artist in me sees quirky sculptures everywhere! Foxton Town has Dutch links and this connection helps to make sense of the windmill in the middle of town. There is a very colourful local dairy (like the corner store) and a supermarket in what was a hotel in the early 1900s. So many buildings from that era have been repurposed – I like the fact that they keep the original buildings – makes it interesting and unique.