Our plan for this trip with our frequent travelling companions Ashley and Gillian was to try to catch the autumn colours of the very scenic, partly sealed, partly gravel Turakina Valley road that runs from SH3 south of Whanganui to Tangiwai, just west of Waiouru. Having got that far north we also wanted to explore the centre of the North Island as a possible alternative section on our Coast to Coast run next year.
Leaving Whanganui in dry but cloudy weather, were soon turning off at Turakina onto the road that we were to follow for
