Going South

Well the weather has cooled off since I left Brisbane. Going south usually means warmth but not when south is New Zealand;-) The pilot announced 18 degrees Celsius in Wellington when we were about to land. I've been having to wear jeans/ hiking pants for the last three days and that's the first time in six weeks! Anyway, it's time to get writing…a lot has happened in the last three days!

On Sunday, Tony and Erin drove me to the airport where I headed to New Zealand for a three-week adventure! After a three and a half hour flight from Brisbane, I landed in Wellington which, is the capital. New Zealand is really two large islands named North Island and  South Island… “Welly” is located on the south end of North Island. I ended up having a middle seat…glad it was a fairly short flight. The three of us pretty well kept to ourselves until the last few minutes where one man told me he was from Christchurch and had lost his house in the earthquake there three years ago. I had recently watched a memorial service on TV for the 185 people who died in the earthquake. The other man was from Barrie, Ontario and working in NZ so I snagged a taxi ride to my hostel with him;-)

The Hostel

My first ever hostel! I didn’t do the hostel thing in my younger days but I figured now is as good a time as any to give it a go;-) In actual fact, there’s no way I could spend money on hotels and B and Bs (which are pricey these days) as a solo traveller for three weeks! The hostel where I stayed was part of a chain called YHA. I had a room to myself on the 6^th floor so that’s cushy when you’re talking hostels. My thinking was that I would book the first two hostels in single rooms ‘til I get my feet wet then go for the dorm rooms after that….Lord help me;-) I researched the ratings on the hostels and only went for those in mid eighties or higher. Trip Advisor was another great source of testimonials;-)

For the traveller on a budget, it was actually pretty good. I checked in at the main desk as if it were a hotel. I scoped out the eating areas and lounges then took the elevator up to the sixth. My room was small as you would expect but perfect for my needs. There was a washrooms/showers a couple of doors down the hall to be shared by a few rooms. It even had a hair dryer and straightener;-)

Wi-fi cost $5.00 for 24 hours but since I didn’t have any NZ cash at that point, buddy gave me the first day free so I didn’t have to use my VISA. Once I had myself sorted in my room, I went out to enjoy a couple of hours walking in the vicinity. The harbor was especially beautiful with a paved walkway with lots of walkers, joggers, skateboards and bicycles.  

There were a bunch of container units in one area that were being utilized as part of an art program for the city. Cool idea! I bet we could find some good uses for them in St.John’s including as I’ve heard some people say, turning them into affordable housing.

"Metaphobia is pathological fear of metaphors, analogy and allegory. It develops from persistent feelings of inadequacy and frustration when experiencing art." Are you symptomatic?;-) 

I used the money I saved on transportation to the hostel on a nice meal at the Hop Garden…Thai fishcakes were the specialty of the evening. Back at the hostel, I brought my laptop down to the common area to be around some people. I was surprised to see there were as many people my age and much older as there were young people! There were all kinds of combinations of people…small groups, couples, solo male and female travelers of all ages. I noticed as the night wore on however, only the younger ones were hanging around. Another interesting thing that first evening was that other than a few people cooking, and a couple of tables of people enjoying a beer, a good many people were sat off independently with their phones or tablets in their own little world….like I was doing;-) Even if you’re not in conversation, it’s nice for awhile to just be around everyone and listening to all the languages.

On Monday morning, after a horrible sleepless night, I purchased a flat white and bagel with organic jam and cream cheese for $6.00 in the main lobby of the hostel. “Flat white” is how you would order coffee and milk in Australia and New Zealand.

 I went to bed at around 10:00p.m., which was only 7:00p.m. Brisbane time but whatever, I didn’t get sleepy until about 5:30a.m. So, I slept ‘til 7:30a.m. and got on with the rest of the day, completely shattered I might add. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my coffee and sat with a friendly, young German fella who is studying in Melbourne and on holiday in NZ. He was all excited about visiting the Lord of the Rings movie sets including “The  Hobbit” which were filmed here. He told me about a couple of walks in the area so I set off for Mount Victoria right after breakfast. 

Mt.Victoria in Wellington

It was a beautiful day and spent about three hours walking, enjoying the views overlooking the city and having myself a picnic. On a side note, as this is my third day of hosteling, I’ve come across more German travelers than any others;-)

I spent the afternoon in the Cuba Street area which is a closed off area for pedestrians where there are shops, cafes and pubs. I had a burger in one spot there while watching some of the Oscars on big screens. I was pretty knackered by this point from lack of sleep so went back to the hostel for a rest. I finished off the evening by going for a late walk and shooting a few photos along the harbour front then picking up a few groceries in the supermarket conveniently located directly across from the hostel. I was sorry I didn't make it to the famous Te Papa Museum. 

Wellington Civic Centre

Wellington Harbour

Wellington Harbour

Wellington Harbour

Wellington Bay

Close One!

This morning, the hostel provided a shuttle service for a $3.00 fee, to the ferry terminal. Ferries run back and forth across Cook Strait throughout the day between Wellington and Picton which, is on the north end of South Island. Cook Strait as described by Wikipedia, “is one of the dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world”. I had been watching the forecast as my ferry travel day was getting closer and it didn’t look good. In fact, yesterday there were all kinds of weather warnings about gale force winds and heavy seas. I was right to be concerned…have a read:  Have a read: Storm

Thankfully, my ferry made it in just fine. The seas were surprisingly calm when we departed on the Interislander. Just like our ferry services at home, there were amazingly familiar stories about the various ferry break downs and substitute ferries brought in and all the rest of it;-)  There was some swell on for a little while when we first left Wellington Bay to cross Cook Strait.  This is where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea and the currents do all kinds of strange stuff here. Anyway, there wasn’t much to it and I have to say, it was one of the most pleasant voyages I was ever on! It was a three-hour journey and it flew by. I put on my wind proof clothing a couple of times to take a few snaps from the deck. Yup…it was a great trip but things went south after that as they say.

Picton Harbour

Picton Harbour

Once I picked up my bag, I approached a rental car place to ask about the best way to get to my new hostel, Tombstone Backpackers.

The guy says, “ I just saw Gord, I think he’s still out in the parking lot.” I didn’t know Gord of course but it didn’t take long for me to find him and his Tombstone. I hadn’t made arrangement with Gord to pick me up but he had tons of room so away I went with a handful of others.

Grapes growing under the eave of the Tombstone

This hostel like the YHA has a mix of young and older travelers. Unlike the YHA, it is a small, independently owned hostel and lends to a “homier” atmosphere. Coastal Pacific train to Christchurch. 

It is a five hour journey and supposed to be spectacular. I’ll have the ocean on one side and mountains on the other side for most of the journey. Lynn had a difficult time finding a place for me to stay in Christchurch (at my price;-) so I agreed to stay on a 6 bed, mixed dorm at the Jailhouse Backpackers for $28.  Sacred heart! I’ll try to be the first one to bed and put the blanket over my head! Reports to follow;-)

I really love this one. Again though, I have a room to myself. This will soon come to a halt. I didn’t have any arrangements made for accommodation after Picton so Lynn (owner) got on the phone and booked three more nights of my journey.

Since I will be flying out of Christchurch when I return to Brisbane, I will just spend the one night there and maybe longer on the other end. Lynn booked my next two nights at a farm stay in Akaroa  area where she has been herself and says it's quite beautiful. More on that later.

Well it's off to bed now as it's going for midnight. I hope to walk some of the Charlotte Track tomorrow  but the weather looks iffy so we'll see. Arrangements will have to be made for a water taxi to drop me off and pick me up;-) I had a lovely walk this evening along Bob's Bay. It's a walk along the Picton Harbour that goes along the beach then up along the bluffs. Beautiful! Guten nacht! Lots of deutsch being sprechened here tonight;-)