The road safety message is graphic to say the least.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words!

We were getting close to Whangerai, but feeling a little peckish when we came across what appeared to be a heritage building, the Towai Tavern near the little town of Hikurangi. It was a beautiful white clapboarded building with signage confirming that it was a historic hotel that had been relocated to this site.

Just the same, we might have taken a hint from the messages on the chalkboard outside the door. We didn’t know at the time that Kawakawa was a half hours drive away, but we wondered. Also consider the spelling… Private what?

The host gave us an unrequested education.

Geography? “You Canadians and Americans are all the same. There’s just a line on the map between you, it doesn’t make any difference at all. New Zealand and Australia have a thousand miles of ocean between them. Now that makes a difference!”

We quickly ordered our food and chose to eat outside on the patio, but first we took in some of the local “art”.

There was signage about procedural approaches.

There were signs about hygiene!

There were behavioral instructions.

Suggested approaches?

Hey, isn’t that Ronald Reagan? I never really thought of him as ugly, and not quite that old!

There was even advice about beverage selection!

We did have an excellent lunch in a beautiful patio overlooking a bucolic valley.

Just the same, we were happy to get back on the road!

We got ourselves settled in the Top 10 Whangerai and headed out for a walk.

This was a typical house in this nice community.

We stopped in to the local Countdown to pick up some groceries.

We were very impressed with this.

Hey parents, give your kids a bite to eat while you shop. What a brilliant idea!

We had a pleasant evening at the Top 10, but awoke the next morning to another stormy day. With a 10 AM tour reservation at the Hundertwasser Art Centre, we were off to an early start.

After Hundertwasser and a bit of looking around Whangarei, we’ll be on our way to Auckland.

It was Friday and we were flying home on Monday. Our trip was winding down. Oh no!