Kiwi Rails - Northern Explorer

Tuesday, 22 December 



We walked the few blocks from from the Ibis Hotel to the Wellington train station, picked up our pre-paid tickets ($251.46 USD for two), and boarded the KiwiRails Northern Explorer. Assigned to Carriage A, seats 2C and 2D, we introduced ourselves to our seat mate in 2A, Grant Woodhouse. Grant is a local Kiwi, retired police officer and now PI. He regaled us with local lore and insights.

During the 11-hour trip from Wellington to Auckland, we traveled along coast then inland through valleys (studded with .... sheep!).

We traversed alpine passes, crossed deep river gorges, skirted around magnificent volcanoes and marveled at the geography of this amazing country.

We also learned a lot about the All Blacks, as Grant is a huge fan. Grant explained: Rugby Union (15 players) is a "thug's game played by gentlemen" where Rugby League (13 players) is a "gentleman's game played by thugs."

Mount Ruapehu, along with Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro
-are all part of Tongariro National Park 

Although we didn't get to see it, we learned about the Okahune Carrot... http://www.newzealandholidaytravel.com/pages/The_Big_Carrot_of_Ohakune

We had been told about the Raurimu Spiral - an engineering heritage site en route between Wellington and Auckland.

When the railway was being built, a major obstacle was encountered - how to negotiate a 139 meter (456') escarpment between the volcanic plateau to the east and the valleys and gorges of the Whanganui River to the west. The problem was solved in 1898 by surveyor Robert Holmes who designed a single track railway spiral - one horseshoe curve, two 90-degree curves, two tunnels and one full circle that crosses over the longer tunnel. In a direct line, Raurimu is 5.5 kilometers from National Park; the train travels 11 kilometers of track to get there.

We arrived Auckland and took a taxi ($12 NZ) to the lovely Langham Hotel on Symonds Street. It is a most elegant hotel ($100 USD/night), recently refurbished, sister to the Huntington in Pasadena.

Langham Hotel Lobby

Gingerbread House in Foyer

Shell Christmas Tree

We look forward to seeing our friend John Mateja who lives across the bridge in Davenport. xoxo

Cable Cars and Cuba in Wellington

Monday, 21 December

First, the cable car...
Ned, the quintessential "agente de viaje" sleuthed out the Wellington Cable Car. For $7.50 (New Zealand - so $5.25 USD) each we purchased round trip tickets. It climbs 120 meters in 5 minutes, so is much longer and steeper than LA's Angels' Flight. It journeys from Lambton Quay downtown up through terraced houses of Kilburn and through colorfully lit tunnels to a lookout perched high above the city. Were we to have had time, we then would have visited such nearby attractions as the Wellington Botanic Gardens and Zealandia.

Construction for the Wellington Cable Car began in 1899, and was operating by 22 February 1902. That first weekend it carried over 4,000 passengers! By 1904, more cars were added to increase seating capacity and a Tea House had been built at the summit. In 1933, electricity replaced steam as the power source for the cable car. In 1978, the original system made its last run and was replaced by a new Swiss designed system upon which we rode. The cable car runs every 10 minutes. See website for operating hours. http://www.wellingtoncablecar.co.nz/

 

 Views from the top:

Now for Cuba...
Ned had read about a darling out-of-the-way restaurant down a little alleyway in Wellington. Fortunately, the taxi driver knew of it, as we could never have found it ourselves. We had a lovely light meal of tapas, most of which don't photograph all that well - piquant chorizo albondigas with a pickled white cabbage slaw,  roasted thyme mushrooms in a sherry wine vinegar, and a rocket (arugula) salad with Padano cheese and a muscatel vinegar dressing. Service was lovely. Ned said his margarita was quite good too.

Tomorrow we depart early to catch the all-day train to Auckland.

Wellington Wonders

Monday, 21 December

Wellington (Ned's middle name) is known as Windy Wellington. Apparently, the locals do not own umbrellas as such an apparatus would either reverse open in the winds or pull a "Mary Poppins"! We now have evidence to support the moniker of the capital of New Zealand.


After brekky, we walked to the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. There, we discovered an artist whose work we really like - especially her use of colors. Her name is Sue Lund. After lunch and much deliberation, we ended up purchasing a painting of hers as our wedding anniversary gift to ourselves/each other. It captures one of the major themes of this trip (If you have followed the blog, I need not tell you.).

Rob Sullivan and Marc Pettie (Gallery Manager), as well as Annette (volunteer) were all lovely.
We now have wonderful stories associated with the purchase.

From there, we skipped across the way to the Wellington Museum.
Note: Free entry (as is the case with all museums in Wellington!).

We started on the 3rd floor where we watched a brilliantly produced time travel film - starting with volcanic burble > the now extinct Moa Birds > arrival of the Maori peoples > arrival of the Europeans >... > future.  It featured surround sound and surround vision, very impressive! We enjoyed Grandma's Attic before going to the Maori exhibit where we saw a fabulous projected theatrical presentation of three Maori myths. We visited the Maritime exhibits, learned about the 1968 Wahine disaster, and appreciated anew that last night's sailing was smooth. The ground floor featured modern history, including a delightful and nostalgic piece on It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

We walked the waterside and downtown, agreeing that Wellington is a cross between San Diego and Seattle (with wind).

Lunch spot was recommended by our server in Wanaka (emphasis on first syllable, rhymes with Santa Monica). It is PreFab and is located at 14 Jessie Street. When we arrived at 12:50, it was a- bustle with  lots of local folks representing all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, etc. The staff also is a wonderful representation of all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, etc. We considered it FABULOUS in every regard.

PreFab - Outside

PreFab - Inside

Ned had the pastrami and sauerkraut toastie - the best sauerkraut we have ever tasted. I had the Acme salad.

We skipped the DreamWords special exhibit b/c of time. 

After lunch we skittled over to the deservedly famous Te Papa Tongarewa ("Te Papa" for short). It is the Museum of New Zealand, also free of charge and also impressive.

Note the architecture!

We started with the Mountains and Sea Exhibit, which included the Giant Squid that was caught in Antarctica by a New Zealand fishing boat.




From there we went outside (in the wind) to the Bush City - walking across a swing bridge, exploring a limestone cave with stalactites, learning that swamps are "nature's kidneys," as well as all about earthquakes and... wind!

We visited exhibits featuring the arts and history of the Maori peoples. We heard immigrant
stories.

We also attended a delightful multimedia presentation/simulation called "Golden Days." The premise is of a junk store that comes to life after closing, telling the history of New Zealand via the relics in the shop. As the film footage is projected onto the screen different items in the shop are lit or animated.

From the top floor, one can get literally get an overview of the human cultures that have influenced this country.

We figure our museum and gallery hopping would easily have cost a lot of USD back home.

Done Driving

Sunday, 20 December 

After our WOW experience, we hit the road, headed to Picton where we were scheduled for the 7PM ferry to Wellington on the North Island. This would be our last road trip. From Picton on, we will be traveling by ferry, train, foot and tram.

Ever fashion-conscious, Ned's tee-shirt matches color of waters below.

An hour after Nelson, we hiked to Cullen Point Lookout, with views of the end of the Mahau Sound.

Mahau Sound

Our 2002 Nissan Sunny (We called her "Sunny" for short), had 143,000 when we got her. Ned added another 2500 kms to her odometer. They made a good team, and we saw some magnificent scenery - much of the South Island of New Zealand.

Queen Charlotte Drive, leading to Picton

Queen Charlotte Sound 

One of Picton's best views is from Governor's Bay where we had a picnic lunch after dropping luggage at the ferry terminal and relinquishing Sunny back to NZ Car Rentals ($34.65 USD/day). 

We boarded the Blue Bridge Ferry for 7PM cast off. Voyage would take us through the magnificent Queen Charlotte Sound and across the Cook Straight. 

Sailing through Queen Charlotte Sound reminded us of the Alaska State Ferry trip through Canada's Inland Passage. 

Arrived in Wellington 10:30PM and schlepped luggage the few blocks to our hotel. We, of course, met fascinating folks on board and will see Mark and Cora from Malta, Italy tomorrow on the train to Auckland. xoxo