New Zealand: Wellington

From Nelson we bused to Picton to catch the ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington. Goodbye South Island, hello North Island! We were finally in a city. All the places on the South Island we visited are actually villages, or towns, at the most. Wellington, the capital of New Zealand because of its central location, is actually a pretty small capital city. At its core, it has much in common with all the other towns in New Zealand;that is, minimal residential in the CBD (Central Business District), a luxury afforded only by the New World.

Our bus ticket from Nelson to Wellington included passage on a Cook Strait ferry, the Interislander. We expected the bus to roll onto the ferry at Picton with us onboard, and drop us off at Wellington Railway Station. But no, the bus dropped us off at Picton, we walked onto the ferry, and then a free shuttle bus met us at the ferry terminal and took us to the CBD.






The ferry trip was about 3 hours. The sea was blue and beautiful, and the ferry was a beast.






Pulling into Wellington Harbour (below). Lots of pine logs ready to load.




Wellington CBD had many lovely Art Deco and Modernist buildings. Here are four: Hotel Waterloo, Defense House, Kisa, and the Central








The Harbour.


Lunch at Aunty Mena's Vegetarian Restaurant was super delish. The Veg Chicken Laksa was particularly tasty (below), and even better with a bit of homemade hot sauce with chopped mushrooms and chou-dou (stinky beans / parkia).






In the CBD there are public buses everywhere.

New Zealand: Abel Tasman Day Walk

After much searching I found an outfitter that would pick us up in Nelson, ferry us into the park, allow us a one-way walk on the Abel Tasman Track, another one of the Great Walks. We chose to go from Medlands Beach to Anchorage Beach.

The section has a high tide and low tide option. We happened to be there during low tide, but chose to go on the longer option in the woods, where we finally had a glimpse of a Kaka after hearing much about and from them.

In Nelson, we were up before sunrise to catch the shuttle thus the views along the Tasman Bay were beautiful


In Abel Tasman we boarded a catamaran water taxi for the one hour trip to Medlands Beach.








The boat dropped us off right on Medlands Beach. The Abel Tasman Coast Track was just meters away.




The walk was pleasant, and every few minutes a great view of the coast.


This was the view from our lunch spot.


A few shots of the low tide crossing we skipped.






We crossed a swing bridge and headed to Cleopatra's Pool (overrated IMO).




On the way to the pickup point we spotted a "fairy tale" mushroom.


Here we are at Anchorage Beach waiting for the return catamaran taxi.




The return shuttle driver, a local, stopped for a minute to show us some kiwi vines.

New Zealand: Punakaiki – Pororari Loop

Continuing 220 kms north on the west coast from Franz Josef, we made a stop in Punakaiki to walk the Punakaiki – Pororari Loop. One leg of the loop is along the Paparoa Track, another Great Walks, the other leg is along the Pororari River Gorge, and the last on the road by Pancake Rocks. Below is John's best shot of the Pororari River Gorge. ;-)



The walk was again in temperate rain forest. The native Nikau Palms (below) are added to the mix. For some strange reason, I finally saw the inspiration for Egyptian columns in the Nikau Palm. Was I too busy looking at all the dazzling artifacts in Egypt to pay any attention to palm trees?!



Pancake Rocks are named for the stacked rock formations. We are generally not impressed by strange formations, mere results of probability. The blowholes here were fascinating. We had the dumb luck of spending the night in the village so we got to see the blowholes in action during high tide.









The bus ride from Franz Josef to Punakaiki was long. We stopped in the west coast beach town of Hokitika for a 20 minute break.




Hokitika, which to us seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, has a vintage art deco cinema, the Regent Theatre.




Later, we changed buses at the Greymouth train station, and noticed a fellow traveler with unique shoes (1st below). Greymouth is the western terminus of the TranzAlpine Scenic Train. Passengers disembark here, and continue their journeys by car or bus or(?).








The rest of the ride up the west coast to Punakaiki was very scenic.


In Punakaiki, we had a budget room in the fancy right-on-the-beach "Scenic Hotel Punakaiki". Below is Sun-Ling walking from the bus stop to the motel at center right; however, our room, with no view at all, was in the adjunct section across the road to the left. Smile.


The next morning we set out early so we could complete the "Punakaiki - Pororari River Loop Trail" and still catch our 4pm bus to Nelson.




Trail Maintenance Crew. I hope!!


The trail was in great condition, the river gorges amazing, and the flora and fauna cool .














Taking a rest on the rocks knowing that we'll make the 4pm bus.


Bonus video. First, a curious bird follows John. Second, where is that singing bird?