We had a very good time in Palmerston North. It is about an hour away from Whanganui, and has almost twice the population (82,000, as compared to 42,000). J has been there for work a few times, but hasn't really explored. Also, it is where the Becker-Harris family lived when they were in NZ several years ago, which makes it special to me.
We also wanted to go there to buy cotton yarn, so that J could crochet us washcloths and dish towels. Wool is very common here, with the abundance of sheep, but none of the stores in Whanganui carry cotton yarn, and only one store in Palmerston North has it. Fortunately, it is very nice yarn, and we got some lovely colours.
After yarn shopping, we had a delicious lunch at La Patio Café, and then walked around the outdoor market that was set up in the middle of town. I'm not sure if it's there every weekend, or just because it's Labour Weekend, but it was nice. We were looking for wide-brimmed hats, to protect us from the sun. NZ is right under the hole in the ozone layer, and skin cancer is a very big problem here, so we are determined to be sun smart. I bought a beautiful purple and green hat with a HUGE brim, in which I look a bit like an old lady in a garden, but I love it, and it will keep me protected. J is still looking for a good hat for him - most of the places seemed to only have women's hats, which is silly.
Here are some pictures of downtown Palmerston North, in The Square, as it's called.
Yellow roses are my favourite flower, so I was excited to see so many beautiful ones.
I'm not sure what this is, but I liked it. It reminds me of a paperclip - maybe on that got confused.
When we got tired of walking around, we found a café and sat down for a rest. J ordered a coffee, and was given this beautiful creation!
Next, we headed to Victoria Esplanade Gardens to have a look around. It is a very beautiful place, with an aviary, a rose garden, a little train you can ride, and all kinds of things. We didn't stay very long, because we were still tired, but here are some pictures of things we saw.
This is a red golden pheasant, which was my favourite bird at the aviary. We weren't able to go inside because it was under construction, so we will have to go back.
I adore this kind of tree. I don't know why, but they always make me think of fairies and enchanted places.
There were a bunch of these circles of flowers, so beautifully made.
Here is me in my new hat! Isn't it fun? And notice how much shade it gives! The sun doesn't stand a chance against me and my hat!
I love your hat Emma! I am in Vancouver right now for a conference and I have heard an Australian accent at least 3 times in two days. I find that very interesting. Still loving your blog even if only every other day. Keep it up!! - Kathy Lee
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy! I love it, too. That's interesting that there would be Aussies in Vancouver. I am told that Aussie and Kiwi accents are very different, but I can't distinguish between them yet.
DeleteI hope you're having a good time!
Richard Harris
ReplyDeleteLoved your pictures and story of visiting PN! There was massive reconstruction on that downtown square in 2005 when were there so I never got to see how it looked in the end! Thanks! There are also some nice trails along the river kind of on the southeast part of town and also off the Massey U. campus (southwest corner).
I don't know about that comment that it doesn't rain much some time of year there..I'm skeptical. Do you have a dryer? It's hard to find enough dry time to hang clothes outside.
When you visit Auckland, your will find people REALLY surprised you're in Wanganui (and liking it!). People in Auckland (30-50% of country) can't understand why anyone would live anywhere else in NZ (sort of like NY of CA here), while many elsewhere in NZ find Auckland terribly crowded, noisy, crime-ridden, hot, etc. They also asked me what it was like living so far INLAND (i.e., PN)--like 45 minutes from the ocean, how does one survive? I didn't have the heart to tell them about Kansas!
BTW, Clint got his first professional acting job last week, at largest professional theater in Austin. He plays "the boy" in THE CAT IN THE HAT and is thrilled. We're so proud and happy for him.
Hi Richard,
DeleteWe will have to go back and find those trails - it's not so far away, so that's nice.
We do have a dryer. It seems like most people here don't, but I don't understand how they do it, between the wind and the rain. I have read and heard that Whanganui usually gets a lot less rain than most of NZ, so I'm crossing my fingers that that's true.
Even here, people seem surprised that we're liking Whanganui, although they also don't seem like they would want to go to Auckland at all.
Speaking of coastline, I had the greatest conversation the other day. Someone asked me where in the States I was from, and I told him Kansas, specifying that it is right in the middle. He nodded, then said, "Oh, so do you even have a coastline in Kansas?" I just barely managed not to laugh - what a different sense of things!
I am so happy for Clint! It will be so wonderful for him to experience his dream!
The coffee looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Faheem. I just passed through Palmerston North again yesterday, and got more beautiful art on my chai. Apparently Palmerston North is the place to go for beautiful drinks. :)
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