Tuesday 28th to 29th April 2026
Leaving the Wellington area, we are making our way north. As usual, we are stopping off at points of interest:
Bulls:
The pleasant small town of Bulls on State Highway 1 has a number of interesting buildings. However the townsfolk appear to be rather proud of the town’s name. You see it everywhere:
In places around the streets, there are life-sized black bulls and the name is used creatively on buildings and on a finger-post sign. Of particular note is the medical centre with the strap-line “Cure-a-Bull”.
The Bulls Museum had a shrine to the Anzacs who were from Bulls:
The National Army Museum, Waiouru:
We stayed overnight on the car-park of the National Army Museum and the following morning, paid a visit. We are not normally ones for visiting museums, but in New Zealand our experience so far has been very positive.
And so it was with the National Army Museum, which pulled no punches in terms of the effects of war, covering all the major conflicts that the New Zealand Army has been involved in. There were many tableau which used original weaponry and vehicles for accurate illustration.
I was humbled particularly, by the medal repository, which houses thousands of medals donated by soldiers’ families. They included many awards for gallantry, including many Victoria Crosses and the citations describing the actions of the soldier concerned. One in particular stood out as he had been awarded the Victoria Cross twice. I found the stories astonishing and very moving.
The Desert Road:
The Desert Road is a part of State Highway 1, north of Waiouru. It traverses an area of treeless wilderness which is used as an Army Reserve.
To the west, there is the huge Mount Ruapehu, a snow-topped volcano which dominates the landscape, the top is most often covered in cloud.
Lake Taupo:
To say that Lake Taupo is big, is an understatement. It is huge; more like an inland sea, but with crystal clear waters.
That is all for today. TTFN and see-u-later.
"See-u-Later" 