The Hunterville Huntaway Dog Statue stands in Queens Park in the small Rangitikei town of Hunterville, a peaceful rest stop rated 4.6 from 50 reviews. Travellers describe picnic tables and shade, toilets, a playground and space set aside for campers.
A good country rest stop does more than provide a car park: it offers shade, a table, a toilet and room to stretch legs stiff from the drive. The best ones keep children happy too, with grass to run on and playground equipment within sight. Regulars on long routes learn to favour small-town stops over busy service centres, since they are calmer and a nearby shop earns the town a little custom. Watch the season as well; a plain green patch in summer can be glorious once the leaves turn.
With its statue honouring the huntaway, the barking herding dog the town celebrates as its own, Queens Park makes one of the more memorable pauses on a Rangitikei road trip.