From One Island to Another

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  Wellington, North Island, New Zealand
Monday, November 10, 2008

Boy does it feel good to be back on the road again.

one nice thing about living and working in one town for a few months (or five) is that when you do start to travel again, it's like going on a whole new trip again. you get that excited feeling that you had when you first boarded that plane leaving the US.

yesterday i took a bus from dunedin back up to christchurch for the last time. christchurch has almost become an old friend to me at this point, dating back to the very first week i spent in the country when i was waiting around for my luggage, as well as the various other times i've had to make overnight stops on my way to further destinations. i arrived in chch at about 4pm so i took my time settling into my room at the hostel (where i've stayed two other times prior) and decided to walk around the square once more for memory's sake. luckily, a girl from canada whom i'd befriended while i was in dunedin happened to be in town last night, so we met for dinner at a local hotel close to our hostels. it was so nice to see a familiar face before i left the country to face another full of more unfamiliar faces. 

Today i caught the 7am Tranzcoastal Train once more. however instead of getting off in Kaikoura like i did the first time, i rode the train to the end of the line to Picton, a small coastal town nestled deep in the Marlborough Sounds. the first time i rode the train--which winds and curves along the northeastern coast of the south island--i had been in New Zealand just two weeks, and i was too timid to get out of my seat and walk to the open-air car to take pictures of the gorgeous scenery flying by. but today.... i took advantage of it! i must have spent the entire ride through Kaikoura (an hr? 45 min?) outside taking pictures. the open-air car is a train car that is covered but has no windows, making it ideal for taking pictures as it erases the annoying glare you get from taking photos through glass. it also, as i discovered, allows you to smell the collage of aromas that fill the coast, mountains and countryside as the train rolls through. now add the crisp wind whipping through your hair. amazing.

Moments after i step off the train at about 12:15pm, i'm hauling my oversized and overweight luggage across the parking lots and next door to the Interislander Ferry terminal. i knew that these ferries were big, but they dwarfed huge 16 wheelers! i checked my luggage, got my ticket and boarded the Ferry 'Kaitaia' which means "challenger" in Maori. the Kaitaia is the biggest of the three ships in the Interislander fleet and i discover why as i wander around the ship... it has 8 decks, two cafes, a restaurant, a pub, a day care, oh yeah and a movie theatre! i tour all 8 decks until i find a splendid (and uncrowded) spot at the stern of the boat, in a nice sitting area with huge glass windows to watch the progress of crossing the Cook Straight. i had been particularly excited about the ferry ride as i'd heard how beautiful the Marlborough Sounds were...of course, today was rainy and foggy so i didn't get the full beauty of the sounds, but i did manage to take a few decent pics. the ferry took me from Picton at the very top of the south island, to the nation's capital of Wellington, at the very bottom of the north island. as the city slowly came into view as we rounded the last bend into the harbor, i (and all the other passengers on the top deck) learned the true meaning of Wellington's nickname "Windy Welly"....it was gusting so hard i could barely stand up! i only took a couple of pictures and then went back inside.

one nice thing about NZ is that their public transportation rocks. it is so thorough and convenient, it's great. i gathered up my bags, walked outside the terminal and hopped on the (free!) shuttle to the train/bus station downtown. and because i'm such a good little traveler and i do my homework, my hostel was right across the street from the station. :o) lovely. it was raining on and off in Wellington--which i hear is quite normal--and it was already around 6pm, so i admit i didn't really walk around town too much. i did make it to the very famous parliment building, or better known as the beehive as you will see why when you see the picture of it. i also bought some groceries in the only supermarket in a railway station in the world...pretty cool.

i will try to get to bed early tonight, as i have a week full of long days ahead of me. it satisfies me though, to know they will be the "good kind" of long and not the weary kind.

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Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

the Kaikouras	cute little cottage by the tracks	am i in alaska...?	love this one
sea birds	i wanted to walk along this beach...	Kaikoura coastline	looking back at Kaikoura for the last time
the cute little port of Picton	Picton	the ship was REALLY big	view of the Marlborough Sounds from top deck
some of the Marlborough Sounds	my last looks at the south island	my first looks at the north island!	lighthouses coming into Wellington
Windy Welly! (and it really was!!!)	Wellington Port	compare the ship's size to those houses!	another ferry. the Kaitaia was bigger
the beehive, as the kiwis call it	only one in the world... i shopped there too!	make cartoons, not war

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