Whanganui Pics [Part 2]

Amy took this picture of me on the trail up into the bush to Mt. Damper Falls.


The one and only Mt. Damper Falls, the tallest waterfall in the North Island at something like 86 metres. It was well worth the hike in.
We were really back into the New Zealand bush. We had seen the rolling hills as we drove up to Taupo, but nothing like this. The hills just went on forever until they disappeared into the horizon. And, of course, you have the mandatory sheep perched on every cliff and in every gully.

Credit where credit is due: Amy (I think) took this picture, and it is so fantastic that it deserves to be on my blog.
Proof I am still alive (or was as of 16 October 2005). This is outside the church in Jerusalem on the Whanganui River Road. This is a prime example of the Maori artwork adorning the Catholic church in Jerusalem. What a mix of cultures!

After dropping our luggage at the Whagamomona Hotel, we decided to venture a little further on for some exploration. We turned down a side road, and what do we see? An entire row of pig skins! Apparently, wild pig hunting is a big sport in the area, and some of the men will leave the skins out as proof of a catch. Not so appealing; many of the people in the van thought Amy was crazy for jumping out to take this picture. I am happy she did!

And for the last: driving along, we found some little piggies (roughly one day old!) by the side of the road. Momma Pig is to the right, just out of sight of the picture. Amy and I being the livestock tourists that we are, we had to jump out of the van to try and attempt a picture without sending them too far down the road. My zoom helped out a lot in this picture.