The Forgotten World Highway.

Views from the Forgotten Highway.

Day 4. Having found out that this coming week-end is Republic Day in Whangamomona, our next destination, we decided that we had better make an early start so that if we found the Whangamomona camp site full we would have time to find an alternate camp site.

We all headed off to refuel, fill the water tanks and empty the waste tanks as there is nothing on the Forgotten Highway between Stratford and Taumarunui. So you have to be well provisioned before you hit the highway. The road between Stratford and Whangamomona is a slow hilly road with plenty of hairpin bends to catch out the unwary. We had to move over to let one truck and trailer pass and did meet another in the opposite direction. Luckily this was on a wide bend where we could pull over to give the truckie plenty of room to squeeze past.

Views around the Whangamomona camp site.

Arriving at the Whangamomona camp site we were pleasantly surprised to find it empty. The manager has given us all power sites for now but this situation may change as more campers arrive over the next day or so. After setting up camp we walked into the village to time ourselves in readiness for our trip tomorrow.

Whangamomona pub and post office building.This is only a dummy frontage as the original building has now gone.Whangamomona's old butcher shop.Didn't know Wellington buses ran this far north.

We called into the pub which is basically the only business in the village for coffee’s and ice creams. We have also booked in for dinner tomorrow night. Four of our group also had dinner there tonight.

Whangamomona main street.Whangamomona bus shelter?This is our meeting point at 9.30am tomorrow.  An interesting day awaits us!