This was our first day (December 25, 2008) of our holiday tour last Christmas 2008. We’re on our way to Wellington but will stop over for a rest at Palmerston North. First stop for late breakfast was at Hamilton, specifically the Botanic Garden. Photo of Jen and Lec with the awesome wood carving at the background.

Along the way, we had a quick stop on the road side to capture the beautiful view of Mt. Ruapehu.

Second to the last stop is at Wanganui where we had our late lunch at a park beside the famous Wanganui river. City center was basically like a ghost town - well what do you expect on Christmas day? People are probably still asleep or like us, out on the road for a long holiday trip. Photo taken along Victoria Avenue and you can hear a pin drop!

We ended the day in Palmerston North. Slept over at a friend’s friend’s house - thank you for being so nice hosts!

To be continued…