Continuation of our travels in New Zealand: Palmerston North city is huge and widespread, situated in the lower section of New Zealand’s North Island.

And, it was time to visit our eldest grandsons there in Palmerston North. It had been a long time since we had seen them as children. Now they were fully grown men, with strong beards and all!  

The Manawatu River and gorge pass:

And as it turned out, our grandsons were very keen to show my husband and I, the wind farm up on the mountain range overlooking the city of Palmerston North. 

So we were herded into their car and taken through the Manawatu Gorge pass, along Napier Road which leads up to the windmills on the mountain range.

  

While going through the pass, they stopped the car and asked us to get out. Here, they first wanted to show us the beauty of the Manawatu River, which meanders long side and far below the road. (You can see the river scene in the first collage photos). 

After spending time looking down at the Manawatu River and taking photos, we were then taken up the road to see the windmills. 

The Te Apiti Wind Farm:

Parking the car in the parking plot, we got out of the car… and the wind hit us full force. 

Wow!!… the wind up there on the hill is so strong you have to hang onto each other. Of cause our grandsons laughed at us. That was the reason I expect they were so eager to get us up there. 

And that isn’t all… the 230-foot high turbines are so HUGE, it’s unbelievable! One of the photos in the second collage shows how big they are compared to the size of a person. 

Then going back to the car, a bigger gust of wind suddenly hit us. The power of the wind force was very scary, I can tell you, as you hang onto each other.  

And to think, that was a mild day… imagination what it must be like on a bad windy day! With that thought in mind, you wonder, if at any moment, you could be taken off your feet and blown up in the air and far away! 

Shoo… My husband and I were so glad to get back into the car. But you have to experience that, to find out for yourself the dynamics of the size of the windmills and how the wind channels and rushes between the north and south islands and hits Palmerston North’s landfall at full force.

Then back home to our grandson’s house, before going out again to... 

Palmerston North’s Victoria Gardens:

After parking the cars (for now there was more of us) we walked towards the rose garden in Victoria’s vast gardens.

I haven’t seen so many roses, all one place, in all my life. There was every type of rose you can think of. All in different colours, sizes and varieties, beautifully arranged laid out in huge rose beds. Each row of roses is labelled with their different botanical names. 

I took many photos of the different roses. But according to space, I only show two here. But they’re gorgeous won’t you say. I got the feeling I had landed in the Alice in Wonderland story. Any minute the little white rabbit would come rushing past me.

Then the family said my husband and I must ride the.. 

The Miniature Railway train:

They said you can’t go to that park unless you had ridden the little train. And of cause, our eldest grandson being a train driver himself… loves trains. 

So tickets were bought and we waited a while for the tiny little train to return and empty out, before we could take our seats on it. 

Our two grandson’s had brought along their bicycles. So they decided to watch us from the bicycle trails that crisscrossed and followed the railway tracks, which meandered through trees and undergrowth.  They meet up with the train every now again, and waved to us, squeezed into the miniature train. 

With jolly Christmas cheer:

Now been Christmas holidays, there was a Father Christmas and Mother Christmas waiting unexpectly for us halfway along the track trail, to give us Christmas cheer and sweets. 

When the train reached them, the lady posing as Mother Christmas, came down long side the train, dishing out the sweets and asking little children what they would like for Christmas. 

When she got to me she handed me a sweet and then passed on to my husband behind me.  

She asked him what he would like for Christmas. 

Now this was somewhat unexpected, as he is a grown up. Besides that, I know he has a sugar problem, and wondered if he would accept the sweet. So I half turned around. 

But been my husband, he has a very quick sense of humour. And to the surprise to all of us, and perhaps to her too… I heard him say in a chirpy polite voice, “A BMW please!” 

Well this stunned the Mother Christmas  lady. She halted for a moment and taken aback, she turned and moved on. And then a few moments later, she came hurrying back and confronted my husband with a laugh, she says, 

“This funny guy needs a sweet, shaped like an eye…” (it was a white round boiled sweet with a black centre) because says she, “Someone has to keep an eye on him!” 

Well, all those in hearing distance had all packed up laughing when he asked for a car. But her reaction to it, gave us an additional chuckle. This created a feeling of Christmas cheer, that I may add, lingered for some time afterwards. 

At the end of the lovely afternoon:

After that we moved off and strolled down towards the Manawatu river edge. 

And there, we sat down on some massive concrete slabs steps, looking over the wide expanse of the river. We spent quite a time there, resting and looking up towards the mountains in the distance. Those same mountains the windmills stood on (check out the photo). 

It was a peaceful end to a wonderful and thrilling day.  

Then back home to our grandson’s house, to eat the most delicious fresh fish and chips that you ever had! That you can’t get anywhere else, other than New Zealand.