Wellington, NZ — She took the seat next to me in the compartment of the train. She reminded me of women I had seen before on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, an aging hippy. “Good Morning, ” I said. “Hello, ” she replied. There was no trace of a Kiwi accent. Sounded like an American, I thought. She carried a large bag, enough supplies to last a week: Mac Book Air, needles and yarn for knitting, various snacks and drinks. As she lifted her bag and placed it on the overhead compartment, I could tell she was all natural–she doesn’t use deodorant!
In the compartment across from me sits a beautiful Indian woman. She is nicely dressed, long dark brown hair and unlike my seatmate, smells like a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. I find it hard not to look at her. She could be a Bollywood star. Then she begins to nod off and suddenly I hear a loud snore. I can’t believe the sounds that are coming from this woman’s mouth.
Then there is the annoying Chinese tourist. He carries a large Nikon camera with a long zoom lens. His equipment puts mine to shame. When he speaks to his friends in Mandarin he is loud. It seems that every five minutes he is running up the aisle of the train car and onto the viewing deck to snap a picture. I mean how many pictures of sheep can you take? There are 60 million of them in this country. Is he going to take pictures of them all?
Eleven hours to go. I keep telling myself, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey. ” There must be some lessons to be learned from all of this. I’m on the Northern Explorer traveling from Auckland to Wellington. I wanted to experience the New Zealand countryside, but is this what I bargained for? The journey takes twelve hours and despite the obstacles and annoyances the views are stunning. Great mountains and streams. Tall forests of trees, rolling hills of green grass and lots and lots of sheep.
As we continue to travel toward Wellington, I begin to think more and more about what was once there. About what stood where all those sheep now graze and why the grass is so tall and green. On those fields where sheep now graze, stood ancient forests and wetlands. Those trees, many of them hundreds of years old were cut down for those sheep to graze. I think of the people before who lived on that land–the Maori and how their people were decimated by war, disease and broken treaties. I become angry and sad for all that was lost and will never return.
The best way I can describe Wellington is that if Auckland were Los Angeles, then Wellington would be San Francisco. Much like the city by the bay, Wellington is cool and windy. There are lots of hills. Around 200,000 people live in the greater Wellington area. It is the capitol of New Zealand and is often called, “The coolest little capitol in the world.”
Cuba Street is where you’ll find much of the nightlife, restaurants and bars in Wellington. It’s an easy walk from most hotels. If you’re only here for a short time, the one thing you must do is visit Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum. The variety of exhibits are fantastic and the museum is free. As are all museums in Wellington. I was so impressed, I still made a donation to Te Papa.
If you want a great view of the city, challenge yourself and take a hike up to the top of Mt. Victoria. The hike can take 30-45 minutes. It’s steep in some places, but if I can do it, then anyone can. Most tourists will drive, take a cab or bus, but you won’t regret the hike. After completion, go down to the nearest pub and reward yourself with a cold beer or two. You’ve earned it.