We’ve popped in here a few times over the years with friends Dianne and Gary. I even had visions of buying a building here, but it wasn’t to be but fun dreaming and talking about it 🙂

After leaving Wanganui, we headed across the back of Marton and stopped in Hunterville for lunch. Hunterville is another one of those towns you tend to whizz through on your way somewhere.  All the cafes here seemed to be going gang busters which was nice to see.

After an hour or so here, we cruised up the road a bit to Mangaweka. Since we were last here, they’ve built a new bridge for vehicles which has taken a chunk of the campground, but I think from memory, its actually easier to get into now with a new access road.

We parked Rafe and plugged in and then walked over the bridge to Awastone to pay for the night and have a cup of coffee.

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

The Village in Hunteville

Close to nature

enjoying the water

Parked at Mangaweka.. those cliffs !

The old bridge, now pedestrian only

People camped on the grass by the river.

Awastone is the full featured, big brother campground, owned by the same people across the bridge.

After that we cruised back to Rafe to check out all the people playing in the river. The place was pretty busy with people opting to park right down by the river with their Caravans and Motorhomes. It’s a lovely spot

We met the people next to us too … nice people. One lot of their way home from Auckland to Nelson and some others who used be locals come back to their old stamping ground.

We only had time for one night here this time, but it was lovely to be here and see those amazing cliffs again. The chap who used to live here was telling me that every time a plane flies over the cliffs, bits fall out of them so that wasn’t good news. It seems they quite soft.