Wellington

I will sum up this day first and say that the journey from Christchurch to Wellington was quite simply spectacular. While it started a little earlier than we might have preferred (taxi to the train station at 6:00AM) the 5 hour train ride to Picton in the morning followed by the 3 hour ferry crossing of Cook Strait to Wellington was a day filled with amazing scenery whilst traveling in comfort and style. The train known as the intercoastal is very modern.

The huge windows were also very clean for this journey. 

Comfortable seats with large and spotlessly clean windows, there were four passenger cars, a food services car and then at the rear an open air car with no seats, just handrails along the edge and large signs warning you not to stick heads or arms out. I watched one tourist get his camera slapped out of his grip by a tree branch. The route to Picton took us up the east coast of the island and for several hours the only thing between us and the ocean was the beach, sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky. There was one section where we could see dolphins making there way northwards. While they were a fair distance out (second time I regretted leaving my telephoto lens at home) it was thrilling to watch them leap out of the water and see the sun glisten on their bodies. This spectacle carried on for maybe 15 minutes or so and I'm guessing that there were perhaps a hundred or so. Next up on the wildlife agenda were seals, sunning themselves on the jet-black rocks scattered along the shore. It was awesome to see these wild creatures and in such abundance. (later you will hear about our very up close and personal encounter we had along a beach but to tell you now I would be jumping ahead by 10 days so I will simply leave this teaser at this point and board the train once more). The train departed at 7:00 and the food services car opened for business at 7:30. As it happened, there were a group of six couples sitting towards the rear of our car who obviously knew each other well. Not long after the food services car opened at 7:30 we watched a steady procession of this group going forward and returning, not with food, ( they had packed their own) but with beer, wine, vodka coolers, etc. such that by 10:00 AM this group had a collective head of steam that was exceeded only by the train itself. My readers will not be surprised to learn that it was Julie who learned that this was a gambling club heading to Picton for the weekend to engage in club activities. Once off the train we only had about 90 minutes before the ferry departed. We of course had all our baggage but did not have to worry about transferring it as this was done for us as Julie had purchased a combined train and ferry passage. This was a very nice touch and allowed us to wander a bit about town.

We have only a short time in Picton before the ferry departs

The ferry crossing was quite expensive compared to BC Ferries but the vessel itself was significantly larger. It was not a flat hulled ferry like ours and we understood why once we got our into Cook Strait. We had a calm day for the crossing to Wellington which was a rare event we learned later. Our host that evening informed us that in 2011 Wellington experienced something like 230 days of gale force winds. Even on this gentle day you could feel the swell. Anyway, once again we enjoyed stunning views of coastline and ocean of great beauty. We arrived in Wellington about 4:30 or so and after retrieving of luggage took a taxi to our hotel located in the downtown area. Nearby we found a Vietnamese restaurant which served up excellent pho. We then explored the waterfront area and downtown core which was alive with people out strolling, eating, pubbing or shopping. Tired but happy from the events of a wonderful day we returned to our hotel and the grateful embrace of our beds.

Wellington NZ