I left the holiday park and went into downtown Napier on yet another beautiful sunny day. I stopped at a Sunday morning market where locals were selling fruits, vegetables and goods. I bought a carton of fresh strawberries and left to go find a wifi hotspot so I could talk to Ryan and mom. Many people were out and about so parking wasn't easy. I walked around and shopped for quite awhile. I made it back to my car around 2 and put together a quick lunch. Before I headed out, I wanted to stop by the oldest winery in New Zealand that was began by missionaries, but I wanted to get on the road more.
I drove southwest towards Palmerston North then took the highway northwest to Whanganui. My goal was to make it to Taranaki/New Plymouth on the complete other side of the island but it was getting late and I knew there were also things to do and see in this coastal town. I searched around for a basic, cheaper campground but again, there wasn't one for another hour out of town. I settled on Bignell Street motel and motorcamp. I chatted with the owner for a bit and he ended up giving me a key to one of the campers that was open for the night but still only charged me for a tent site. The park had about 15 small, outdated campers that are able to be rented and they had a bed, fridge and small kitchen. I was just happy to be in something other than a tent.
I talked with the owner for about an hour after I made dinner, he was an interesting old man. I hung out in my camper for awhile then fell asleep.
