Taranaki

Early rain had cleared by after breakfast, so we went into New Plymouth for a for shopping and a walk around the Komaroe aquatic centre. Met Judy's mother for lunch at the at Big Jim's, the very nice restaurant associated with a local garden centre. Despite the cloud, we pressed ahead with a trip up to the Egmont Visitors' Centre, half-way up Taranaki - which was cold enough to get us unpacking the woolies we'd brought along for our return home. There was essentially no visibility uphill from the centre, only brief glimpses of fresh-fallen snow in gaps in the cloud, so after a little walk to stretch the legs, returned to base via a gemstone shop, which had some nice pieces of jade and petrified wood.