We grabbed a quick breakfast in our Wanganui campsite where we were lucky to have paid $20 for a shared bathroom instead of $32 for an en-suite, but no one had turned up that night so we still had it to ourselves! We got in the car and drove into town, having a quick potter around the streets, then going into a steam boat museum. We then started driving the River Road up the Wanganui river. There was a few stop places where you could see views of the river which were quite cool. We then came to a historic house… but it looked like it was private property and there was no one there so we carried on. We then came to a coffee shop and gallery… but it looked like it was private property and there was no one there so we carried on. We then came to an old flour mill… again it looked like it was private property but we decided to go in this one as there was a tour in there too. We then came to an old convent… a gate was locked and it looked like private property, but we found another entrance and went in anyway and had a look at the old church. We then came to an information and canoe booking office… but it looked like it was private property and there was no one there (except a scary dog) so we carried on. We were starting to realise that the whole road had been a bit spooky! Re-reading the brochure it said the river road was like a step back in New Zealand time. Ah Ha that's why! We decided against a canoe trip down the river and continued on to the outskirts of the Toringo National Park. We stopped at a town called Ohakune. We found a campsite with a great view of the Ruapehu mountain and planned our next few days.