I made my way to the city center, drove across the Whanganui River, and found the beginning of the path to the tower, elevator, and the tunnel attractions. I began at about sea level and took many flights of concrete steps up the hill, known as Durie Hill. It brought me up next to the elevator, which you could take an attached staircase up to its roof. It offered a good view of the town and river. This elevator was opened in 1919 and its purpose was to help the development of the neighborhood up on the hill. (So instead of taking the elevator up from the bottom, I took those stairs).
Near the elevator was a beautiful tower. It was built in remembrance of fallen Whanganui residents during World War I. I took the 176 steps to the top. Another really great view from up there. I was ready to head down so I took the 65 meter drop in the elevator for $2. It brought me to the tunnel which is 213 meters long and spans from the bottom of the elevator to the street at the base of the hill, where my car was parked. Next, I checked out Victoria Street, which was lined with pretty buildings.
I made a dash for the Taranaki region and New Plymouth to the northwest. I drove by more coastline, green hills, and cows. I knew I was going to be able to see Mt. Taranaki at some point on the drive but I didn't know when exactly. And I was just going along when something caught the corner of my eye. I looked and just about jumped out of my seat while driving. I was so surprised at what I saw. It was the mountain straight out my window. It was perfect. Nearly symmetrical, snow capped, pointy, and gigantic. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, in the land of small rolling hills, there stood a giant. I was immediately intrigued and in complete awe.
I had to get closer, I had to see this mountain in all its glory. I took the first road I saw, hoping it'd take me right up to it. It did take me pretty close but wasn't quite good enough. On that road I saw the sign for Dawson Falls, which was on my list of things I wanted to see. I drove down an incredibly narrow and windy road that was lined with lush trees that created arches over the road. I made it to the trail that lead to the falls. The walk was short and the falls were beautiful. I left and continued back to the main road and went onto New Plymouth.
In the city center, I went to the proclaimed Govett-Brewster Art Gallery which had mostly contemporary art. For such a large building it didn't have that many pieces in it. The best part about it was probably the exterior of the building which is basically just a big, rippled mirror. (See pics). I strolled down to the library and museum. I did a quick walkthrough and exited near the ocean where I saw the wind wand, one of the attractions in New Plymouth. It's a kinetic sculpture that's a single fiberglass rod and stands 157 feet high. It stands straight if the air is still and bends in the wind. It's cooler than it sounds.
I found out how to reach a good spot near Mt. Taranaki when I was in the library. I would have to hike approximately 2.5 hours in and back out. It was getting late-ish but I drove to the trailhead anyway. I first thought I could go up and come out in the dark but there was a hut at the end so I decided to go up and then just stay there for the night. I scrambled getting my hiking stuff together and started out. It began relatively flat and was all wooden board walk but then it turned into steps. It gradually climbed through the bush for an hour until it opened up above the tree line. The trail continued around a ridge before I saw the hut up above. I kept a steady pace and shaved an hour off of the estimated time and made it up there well before sunset. I checked out the hut and was surprised by how many people were up there. I was lucky enough to get the last bunk out of 16. I chatted with a girl from Brazil who now calls New Plymouth her home and also with a couple from Holland.
I put my pack away and hiked up further to get a view of the mountain and the surrounding areas. It was so fiercely windy up that high but it was all well worth it to be that close to the beautiful peak. Just the texture of the deep ridges and the contrast of the snow against the dark mountain face was incredible and became even better once the late sun illuminated the scene. It was intense. As I looked out the other direction towards the town during the sunset, the clouds (that I was above, and I was surprised to see them below me and didn't realize that I was THAT high up) became blue, yellow, and pink cotton fluffs in the late night sky. It was beauty in every direction.
I walked down to the left along more board walk to get a better view from a lower valley. I took some pictures then headed back up to the first spot. A Belgium couple and a girl from Switzerland were there and we chatted over the loud, harsh wind. We were all chilled and descended to the hut together. We hung out for a bit longer with everyone in the dining room and then headed for bed. Now that the sky was black, the city lights in the town below shined bright and beautiful. I laid awake reading for another hour. 9 miles and 260 flights of stairs later, the day ended.
