Wanganui offered two motor camps, one beachside and one riverside. We chose the latter, as we had done beaches before and this one might be a touch cool in the freshening wind. A good choice as it turned out, as the river site was pleasantly situated and pleasantly empty. Within minutes of our arrival the steam-powered river boat steamed briskly past, on the final leg of its daily afternoon cruise up the river.

Next stop was the Durie Hill Elevator, one of only two in the world to be buried in a hillside instead of inside, or outside, a building. In all other respects it was a conventional lift, operated by a lady a little tired of schoolgirls using the calling bell as a musical instrument. Eric chose the energetic route via the external steps, and we were reunited on top at the Memorial Tower, a 100ft high edifice built from fossilised shell rock. This offered, at the top of yet more steps, a fine view of the city and surrounding countryside. This apparently included South Island on a clear day, but the arrival of a sequence of south-easterly showers put paid to any hopes of seeing that far.

We returned to the town centre and discovered that Napier is not the only town to have Art Deco buildings. Whanganui also boasted a velodrome and the running track where Peter Snell broke the sub-four-minute-mile record. The adjacent gardens also included an observatory complete with telescope, unfortunately open only on Fridays.