🌞 Whanganui One-Day Adventure | NZ’s Hidden Historic Gem! 🚡🏛️

🚗 The Journey: After years in NZ, we finally embarked on a road trip to Wellington—but 6 hours from Auckland called for a 2-night pitstop in Whanganui, one of NZ’s oldest cities. Day 1 was all driving; Day 2? Pure exploration! 📍 Stop 1: Durie Hill Elevator (1916!) Time-travel tunnel with color-shifting lights 🌈 (Instagram gold!). $2 adults, $1 kids (under 5 free) → Ride the 100-year-old rickety elevator (yes, it creaks—part of the charm!). Views from the top: City, river mouth, and distant snow-capped peaks! ❄️ ⚔️ War Memorial Tower Free spiral staircase climb → 360° windows frame Whanganui like a living postcard. 🏙️ Stop 2: City Walk 19th-century buildings with birthyear plaques—history whispers down every street. 🏛️ Stop 3: Whanganui Regional Museum Unexpected highlight: A Cantonese dim sum feast… made of wool! 🧶🍜 (So realistic, we almost took a bite!) ☕ Stop 4: Mystery Green Café (Victoria Ave) "Bucket-sized" coffees ☕ + crunchy fried snacks (so good, we ordered seconds!). Sweet surprise: The Asian staffer gifted us extra treats as we left—hospitality wins! 💡 Why Whanganui? ✔ Old-world NZ without the crowds ✔ Quirky, artsy, and unpretentious ✔ "Where elevators time-travel, and woolen dumplings fool hungry tourists!" #Whanganui #NZRoadTrip #HiddenHistory #NorthIslandNZ #TravelNZ