New Zealand 1998

Tuesday, 10 March Across the Strait

I was down at the ferry terminal in good time, checked in my bag and had time to smoke a pipe before boarding began just after ten o’clock for the ten thirty sailing. Aratika’s passenger accommodation seems very fragmented into small compartments, cafes, different lounges etc., possibly because she was originally built (1974) as freight only and subsequently (1976) converted for a wider role. Smoking is permitted only in the bar or on the open deck.

We left on time and were overtaken by the Lynx just before Dieffenbach Point where we left Queen Charlotte Sound and entered the Tory Channel. Just after we emerged into the Cook Strait, we met Arahura and then Suilven on their way in. After that, I retired to the bar and re-emerged at the entrance to Port Nicholson, just too late to photograph Arahanga as she headed across the strait. We had to wait for the Lynx to leave the adjacent berth before we could dock at quarter to two, approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.

After reclaiming my bag, I took the shuttle bus into the railway station and dumped the bag in a locker ($2 for 4 hours), then went for a wander round to get my bearings and buy a map. The place has changed a lot, buildings up and down; the Waterloo Hotel has converted its large bar into a fairly plush drinking place while a much smaller bar is now the Waterloo Tavern.

About four, I took the trolleybus up the hill to Karori and found Friend Street and the McGee residence without much difficulty. Hannah was at home and fed me tea and conversation. When Dave arrived we went off to the Hutt Valley for a time trial (different place this time) before returning for tea and conversation till bedtime. (My quarters are the bach at the bottom/ top of the garden, with a key for the back door.)

Wednesday, 11 March

Dave gave me a lift into town on his way to work, I took a stroll along Oriental Parade and then went into Te Papa, the new Museum of New Zealand on the waterfront between Herd Street and Queens Wharf. Quite interesting, a lot of Maori and Pacific Islander material, flora and fauna with an earthquake simulator and an interesting geological time line.

I came out about one thirty thinking to have lunch and go to the Maritime Museum but that is currently close for relocation (reopens April ’98) so it was just a long lunch. Then I went looking for a map shop on Thorndon Quay which I did not find so had another beer, looked in the phone book and found that I should be at the other side of town. There were not many Agfa adverts on the way across.

I found the map shop at the corner of Victoria and Viners Streets and bought the necessary sheets to complete my set of 1:250,000 maps for the whole of New Zealand, but the 1:25,000 sheet for the Wairarapa was on back order, not expected for a couple of weeks, so I bought the Rimutaka & Haurangi Forest Park map, only 1:100,000 but there is an inset covers the Incline at 1:40,000 which will do.

I was walking up Aro Street towards Karori when the rain came on. Dave came past and gave me a lift the rest of the way. Anne went off shopping for all sorts of things but forgot to buy meat so we had pies for tea.

Thursday, 12 March

It was pouring rain all morning so I kept my head down, wrote up this diary and had lunch then when the rain went off about one, I set off to walk down the route I’d been walking up when the rain started yesterday evening. It was a leisurely stroll with frequent stops to admire the ever changing views (one of the advantages of living up a hill). So leisurely was the stroll that the first pub I came to, the Brunswick, was already into its afternoon happy hour and I nipped in to take advantage of a jug of Tui for $4.50.

Then I set about some serious shopping for this jotter and some film – not a lot of shops stock Agfa, and when I finally found one, they had no 36 exposure so I had to settle for a couple of 27s for the time being. I remembered to buy tobacco but forgot the camera batteries. I found a pub called the Bull and Bear up a lane off Lambton Quay and had a couple of half litres of Speight’s Dark before catching the trolley bus back up the hill to Karori. Lasagne and conversation for tea. I don’t know why I have “Billy Connolly’s Tour of Scotland” written in the margin, it must have been on television.

Friday, 13 March

Dave and Anne took the day off work and gave me a conducted tour round Lake Wairarapa. It was a lovely morning in Wellington and up the Hutt Valley and, though cloudier across the Rimutakas, it remained very pleasant. We went down the west side of the lake — it’s a long way from Featherstone to the Cross Creek car park — stopping for a photo at the Lakeside Scenic Reserve, then across the bottom end and up the east side to Martinborough for lunch in an unpretentious milk bar. We’d a bit of a run around the area with Dave and Anne admiring (or otherwise) the fine houses of the grape growers.

The it was on to Featherstone where Anne peered into the windows of antique shops while Dave took me to the site of the Featherstone Army Camp (WW1) where there is a memorial to the 48 Japanese prisoners and one NZ guard who died in a riot while it was being used as a POW camp in WW2.

Back in Featherstone, Dave and Anne were inspecting more antique shops on the main road when my boredom was relieved by the level crossing bells and I was able to get a quick shot of a passing Wellington - Masterton train, three coaches behind 4749.

We were back in Wellington just after three and all sorts of domestic activity took place while I looked at the pictures in Dave’s book of UK electric trains (real ones, not models). Pat and Kathy arrived for tea, steak, salad, mushrooms and potatoes, they invited me to visit in Pakuranga before I leave the country, they are canal boating in southern England in July and August so I must send Pat details of preserved railways in that area (and a BR map). Then we watched Wellington beat Waikato. Sue and Phil and Sam turned up later.

Saturday, 14 March

I made a slow start to the day, deciding to go to the Silverstream Railway but in no great hurry to get there as I suspected it would be closed. “Open Weekends and Public Holidays; Sundays 11 - 4” suggested to me that it was Sundays only most weekends. So I walked into town by a devious route over Johnston’s Hill and down to Otira Native Botanic Gardens, a pleasant stroll though it took a bit longer than I’d expected. I stopped on the road down from Wadestown to take some photos of the commercial harbour area, there were a number of ex-InterCity carriages and 10 Westrail locomotives at either side of the marshalling yards, all destined for refurbishment and further use in New Zealand. Arahanga was at the ferry berth.

The I remembered I wanted camera batteries and rushed into town just as the shops were closing at twelve-thirty, but got my foot in the door in time. Then to the railway station. The fare to Silverstream was $3.70 each way (off-peak) so I bought a day ticket for $10 and caught the 1305.

At Silverstream, I couldn’t find the museum so consulted my map and realised I was in the wrong place. I set off for the council tip and found my destination just before it. As I had suspected, the railway was closed but there were some folk working and they had no objections to my wandering around. Most of the stock was out of the sheds so I took a few photographs and was especially pleased to find a Dubs 1875 saddle tank. Since the station was locked, I could obtain no brochures or souvenirs.

After half an hour, I set off back to the station and returned to Wellington, crossed the platform and took another train for the twenty minute trip up the Johnsonville line. This is an amazing engineering feat, single track, constructed on a ledge with tight curves and several tunnels and it was once the main line out of Wellington. On the train, you can sit up front almost beside the driver which allows full appreciation of a marvellous trip. Back in town, I changed platforms again and took the next train out to Plimmerton on the current main line, and was back in Wellington again by half past six. Which all goes to show the wisdom of buying a day ticket.

I walked up to Karori stopping for a couple of pints in the Shamrock cafe bar (more cafe than bar) and in the Shepherd’s Bush. This establishment has English 1930-50s memorabilia on the wall but was more like a NZ pub than the Shamrock was like anything.

The house was in darkness when I arrived so I made myself tea and a sandwich (well, two actually, one ham and one cheese). Hannah phoned to say they were at Elizabeth’s and I said I was going to bed so I did.

Sunday, 15 March Paekakariki

The night was windy and the tree overhanging the bach seemed to have an endless supply of nuts to drop on the roof. The clocks went back last night so I enjoyed an extra hour in bed, it should be easier to get up at seven as it is now light at six. The forecast has been for various degrees of rain this morning before a southerly front brings in colder showery weather.

Dave had a time trial this morning at Paraparaumu Airfield and we set off at half past eight in reasonable weather, no rain though there was occasional evidence of past showers. Still no rain at the airfield but the cycling was cancelled because the wind was possibly dangerous and there might be logistical problems if the flyers decided they wanted to change runways should the wind shift.

Plan B was to visit the railway museum at Paekakariki and we set off for there. On the way, Dave pointed out the Wellington Tram Museum, of which I was unaware, it was still closed but we went in for a quick look round the grounds and were just about to leave when a door opened. They were getting ready for opening at 11 but we were welcome to have a look round inside the tram barn so we did.

At Paekakariki, Ja1271 (built Hillside, Dunedin) was on duty with one carriage for the 300m excursions, charging $3 for two runs, $5 for a footplate run or $25 to “drive” (my quotation marks). Ka945 was in the shed having just been withdrawn for its 10 year overhaul, Ja1234 (one of the original batch built by NBL, Glasgow) was ready to go to Glenbrook (for the ANZAC Day weekend) as Ja1250 “Diana” is also due for overhaul. There might be a steam trip from Auckland to Rotorua next weekend.

We returned to Wellington by the Paekakariki Hill Road with a good view over the coast and an interesting drive through the hills before dropping down to the Hutt Valley. The rain appeared at last, lots of it as if to make up for lost time but it lasted only 15 minutes and when we reached Wellington, it hadn’t rained at all. That was the front coming over, the forecast showers failed to materialise, just the occasional fluffy cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky. But it was noticeably cooler, maybe the low rather than high teens.

We were back in Karori after a fast-moving morning. I helped Anne with a few word-processing technicalities, getting the printed page to match the screen, and then spent boring hours getting this diary up to date. The downside of it getting light at 6 a.m. is that it gets dark at 7 p.m. so I went to tidy the bach.

Monday, 16 March

East over Wellington

It was a nice morning so I decided it was time for a walk. After phoning home, I left the Karori shops about nine and walked along Campbell Street to get into the Karori Water Catchment Area near the Upper Reservoir. I followed the feeder stream upstream for a bit then ascended the Goat Track (a sign said it was very steep but that was an exaggeration) to the ridge and along to the wind turbine erected in 1993 as an ECNZ research project. Then I turned towards the sea along a ridge-top path somewhat overgrown with gorse. At the end of the ridge at five past eleven, I ducked through a gap in the fence which I probably shouldn’t have done as I ended up at a smallholding where a couple were washing a horse. They weren’t too pleased to see me but collared their dogs and allowed me to pass through the yard.

From Owhira Bay, I walked round the coast to Lyell Bay then through Kilbirnie to Evans Bay with a 50 minute stop for a late lunch at The Slip at Greta Point before reaching the top of Mt. Victoria at quarter to four for fine views all round. There is a track parallel to Alexander Road along the top of the ridge so I followed that for a while before picking the right side track to descend to the top of the Wellington College playing fields, where there was no under-15 trial in progress. I continued down to a lower field where the trial was being played and loitered there until Dave found me. William had already played but wanted to stay till the end which we did. Back at Karori, steak and mushrooms for tea.

Tuesday, 17 March

I accepted a lift from Dave over to Miramar (where he works) and about eight o’clock, tried to get over the top at the north end but some inconsiderate person has blocked that route with a prison. So I had to backtrack a bit to go round by the east shore and was still five minutes from Halswell Point when Suilven came round the corner at quarter past nine so my photos have a fairly nondescript background (who would recognise Somes Island?) rather than the desired backdrop of Wellington city.

A further hour’s leisurely stroll found me back in Kilbirnie where I bought a $5 day ticket for the bus and returned to the city to look for a hire car as I have run out of time to get round the North Island by public transport. I achieved what seemed a reasonable deal from Shoestring at $39 per day for a group B (down from $45 but I think they are reasonably happy to get any hire one way from Wellington to Auckland). Then I found the Loaded Hog and had a Whole Hog Burger (not to mention two pints of Hogshead Dark and a pint of Red Dog Draught) to celebrate.

I spent $80 on books (including three Footrot Flats) before taking a No.9 trolley bus out to Miramar through Newtown and a No.2 back through the bus tunnel, followed by a few beers for tea in the Malthouse (Emmerson’s Bookbinder Bitter) and Courtney Arms (Monteith’s Original), keeping well away from pubs celebrating St. Patrick’s Day (crowded and noisy). Then a bus up to Karori to discuss genealogy with Dave before bed.