coastsider

This is the second installment chronicaling my trip to Australia and New Zealand. In part two I share with you my visits to Wellington and Christchurch New Zealand. For those interested, you may find part one here. Some photos from my trip are posted here.

April 13, 2004
Rotorua to Wellington
Air New Zealand 8585 Economy Class – Seat 9F (Turbo Prop of some sort)
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I caught the airport shuttle (NZ$12) to Rotorua Airport, paid my NZ$5 departure tax, and checked-in for my flight. Rotorua is a tiny airport with only a small gift shop and a small café that serves snacks. Since there wasn’t anything to do at the airport I wished I hadn’t arrived 90 minutes early. Thirty to forty five minutes would have given me plenty of time for check-in which was fast and courteous.

The fifty minute flight was fine with in-flight service consisting of a small bottle of water and a cookie. The best part of the flight was the magnificent scenary on this almost cloudless day. The flight arrived on time in Wellington. I made my way to the visitor information booth to inquire about transportation to downtown. The friendly person behind the counter pointed to the airbus stop at the end of the terminal from where the airbus had just departed. The next scheduled bus was about an hour later. With the same warm hospitality I had received from other New Zealanders throughout my visit, the man behind the counter told me to follow him outside the terminal where he flagged down the bus driver and asked him to allow me to board. The bus ride to downtown cost NZ$5 and took about twenty minutes. I got off the bus on Lambton Quay, just a few hundred feet from the Copthorne Plimmer Towers where I had booked a room.

I selected the Copthorne because of its central location to the many attractions in Wellington as well as the NZ$140 rate (taxes included) which seemed reasonable given the location of the hotel. The staff at the hotel were very pleasant and handled my check-in efficiently. I was assigned a room on the 19th floor that had a “filtered” view of the harbor. The room was small but clean and had a queen size bed, a small table with two chairs, a lounge chair, and a small closet to store clothes, etc. The bathroom was of average size. My only complaint was the tiny sink (about the size of the sinks you find in aircraft lavaratories) that had separate hot and cold faucets. Otherwise, for the money the room was comfortable. The selling point for the hotel is it’s location, directly in the center of downtown amongst all the shops and office buildings. The Kelburn Cable Car to the Botanic Gardens is just a two minute walk from the hotel, the harbor and Te Papa Museum just a ten minute walk, and the railway station just a two minute bus ride or ten minute walk. Most of the city buses travel down Lambton Quay on their way to and from the railway station.

After getting settled into the hotel I walked to the Kelburn Cable Car terminal (located at the end of a pedestrian alley next to the McDonalds). A ticket for the short five minute ride up the hill cost a few NZ$. As the cable car ascended the side of the mountain, magnificent views of the harbor, downtown, and surrounding mountains appeared. Definitely a Kodak moment. There was a restaurant at the hilltop cable car terminus with meal prices that reflected the fine views the guests were afforded from the dining room. I walked around the perimeter of the restaurant and found two viewing decks that offered unobstructed views of the city and harbor. I then made my way to the botanic gardens where I wandered around for a while enjoying the tranquility of the gardens and taking in the awesome views. After riding the cable car back down the mountain I stopped at the Visitor Information Center then headed down to the harbor for a look around. The Visitor Information Center is located in Civic Square off of Wakefield Street. Also inside the center is a small café and computers for fee based Internet access. Access to the harbor area is via a uniquely designed pedestrian bridge located at the opposite end of the square.

The downtown financial area pretty much shuts down at the end of the business day. I only found a few restaurants open in the immediate vicinity of the hotel so I headed to Courtney Place in search of a place to eat. Courtney Place is an area full of restaurants, bars, and an entertainment complex with a cinema. It seemed the entertainment complex was the focal point for teens to gather as there were large groups of young people in and around the complex. I had dinner at one of the steak houses inside the complex. The food was good but nothing special. I then took a leisurely walk back to the hotel and called it a night.

The next morning I headed off to the New Zealand Police Museum located at the Police College in the suburbs of Wellington. To get there I had to take the train to the Plimmerton stop (about a 30 minute train ride) and walk another twenty minutes to the police college on Papakowhai Road (After disembarking from the train, walk back towards the direction from which you came. There is a pedestrian bridge that connects to Papakowhai Road. Keep walking in the same direction for about 15-20 minutes. The Police College is on the left). Although it took a bit of work to get there, I found the police museum quite interesting. There is a cafeteria at the college that is open to the public. The museum charges a small admission fee of a few NZ$.

I spent the afternoon at the Te Papa Museum; a museum I felt is on par with some of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. The museum is located in a beautiful building along the harbor. Exhibits at the museum included displays informing of the history of the Maori people, the history and culture of New Zealand and its people, natural history displays, some science exhibits, and various art displays and a wonderful outdoor garden. Admission is free.

The next day I would leave Wellington for Christchurch.....

coastsider

April 15, 2004
Wellington to Christchurch
InterIsland Ferry to Picton
Tranz Coastal Train from Picton to Christchurch
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I purchased a package that included the ferry crossing and the rail ticket; about US$90.

The next morning I packed my bags and headed to the railway station. As a passenger on the InterIsland Ferry I was able to take advantage of the free shuttle bus from the railway station to the ferry terminal. Be forewarned the bus can get crowded and there are only two shuttles to the ferry terminal before the ferry departs. Check in at the ferry terminal was quick and efficient. The man behind the counter told me I needed to check my bag as there isn’t much room for carry on bags on the ferry. To the contrary, I found there was plenty of room to store even a large suitcase on board. There were also lockers where one could secure their bags if they wished. I would recommend carrying on board whatever baggage you may have as it took nearly 30 minutes for bags to be delivered in Picton.

Although there are plenty of places to sit, both inside the ferry and outside on the decks, I highly recommend the front of the boat on the main deck. There are some very comfortable lounge type seats situated around coffee tables that are located next to huge windows that provide spectacular views ahead and to the sides of the boat. From this vantage point I was able to see several schools of dophins playing near the boat at times in addition to the beautiful scenary as the ferry headed towards Picton. About thirty minutes prior to arrival in Picton I headed up to the outer deck to enjoy the views from the back of the boat. Due to a late start, the ferry arrived 30 minutes late. With a wait of over 30 minutes for my bag I was worried I might miss the train. There is a shuttle service to the nearby railway station but the driver told me there are only two shuttle runs that commence about an hour before the train departs. Unfortunately for me there were no more shuttles for the day. I subsequently walked (fast) to the railway station which only took me about ten minutes. The walk isn’t bad if you don’t have a lot of baggage.

I arrived about ten minutes before the train was scheduled to depart and checked-in and received my seat assignment. As I walked out onto the platform I got my first look at the train. I was rather disappointed as the train appeared old and worn (see the pictures). I was expecting trains such as those I so enjoy riding in Europe. Once inside things looked a bit better. The interior of the train was clean, including the lavaratories, and the seats were fairly comfortable. The train staff were friendly and very accomodating to those passengers with special needs. The train had a snack bar in one of the middle cars and an open air viewing car also in the middle of the train. Throughout the train journey the conductor provided informative and interesting commentary to accompany the wonderful views of the ocean and mountains as the train made its way to Christchurch. If you are don’t mind sitting on a train for six hours and are not in a rush, the Tranz Coastal is a pleasant way to get to Christchurch. Otherwise, you can fly from Wellington to Christchurch in about an hour. The ferry crossing takes about three hours.

Upon arrival in Christchurch I caught a ride into downtown on one of the shuttle vans (NZ$5). I had booked a room at the Millenium Christchurch for NZ$174 (taxes included). This was very reasonable given the Millenium is a first class hotel located in the heart of Christchurch directly across from Cathedral Square. The front desk person assigned me a nice room overlooking Cathedral Square. The room was spacious and had comfortable furnishings. The only downside to having a room overlooking the square was that it was quite noisy late into the evening from all the young people who seemed to congretate in the square.

After settling in I headed off to find a place to eat. The concierge had recommended the restaurants along Oxford Terrace, a short walk from the hotel. There were numerous restaurants in the area but all were packed with people. I decided to look elsewhere and happened upon a restaurant called the Café Bleu and Bar located on the Cashel Mall (#88 – PH: 377-2888). The restaurant was nearly full but not overflowing as I had seen at the other restaurants. The atmosphere seemed much more relaxed with the predominately middle aged crowd in contrast to the twenty something crowds patronizing the restaurants along Oxford Terrace. The menu was not extensive but had a good selection of salads, roasted meats, and some seafood dishes. I had the rack of lamb which I found to be quite good. Midway through my meal a jazz quartet provided the guests with a 45 minute set of jazz tunes. I found the service to be friendly and efficient, the food excellent, and the prices reasonable.

The next morning I headed off to do some sightseeing. My first stop was at the Visitor Center located in Catherdral Square that had an abundance of brochures, maps, and guides. Since I only had one day for sightseeing I decided on the following:

Antarctic Centre
Christchurch Gondola
Canterbury Museum

Just outside the visitor center is a bus stop where the airport bus, tour buses, and shuttle vans stop to pick-up and drop-off passengers. There is a bus that makes stops at five or six of the major Christchurch attractions (following a published schedule) and costs a few NZ$ roundtrip to each of the attractions. Alternatively you can purchase a day pass (I think it was about NZ$15-20) for transport to all of the attractions. I decided to take one of the small shuttle vans as the cost was the same and I was able to negotiate my pick-up time.

My first stop was at the Antarctic Centre. This museum was one of the most interesting and informative museums I visited during my trip. If you don’t know much about the Antarctic or the research that is being conducted in the Antarctic, you will by the time you leave! In addition to the admission fee (about NZ$20) I paid another NZ$10 to ride the Hagglund, an all terrain vehicle used by the researchers in the Antarctic. The Hagglund ride takes you for a ride through “off road” terrain behind the museum that gives you an idea of what it is like to ride in one of these vehicles in the Antarctic. The ride lasted about 15 minutes. Probably more fun for the kids than the adults.

My next stop was at the Canterbury Museum which is about a ten minute walk from Cathedral Square. This Museum had displays and exhibits similar to the Te Papa Museum but on a much smaller scale. Of note were the exhibits on Antarctica and the research being conducted there. Admission was free.

My last stop for the day was the Christchurch Gondola. A ride in a gondola takes you to the top of a mountain that offers visitors an awesome view over Christchurch, the town of Lyttleton, and the Pacific Ocean. On the day I visited the sky was relatively clear which allowed me to see for miles. At the visitor center atop the mountain is a restaurant, gift shop, and a museum (admission included with gondola ticket). I spent the afternoon taking in the views and doing some hiking on the several marked trails around the visitor center.

For my last day in Christchurch I purchased a ticket for a ride on the Tranz Alpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth roundtrip. I caught a ride to the railway station on the same shuttle van (don’t recall the company name) that brought me from the railway station to my hotel a few days earlier. The shuttle service does not charge for the trip to the railway station but charges for the trip from the railway station. One of the shuttle stops was at the backpacker’s hostel across the street from the Millenium. Be forewarned, the vans only accommodate 12 people. The van filled completely at this one stop.

Upon arrival at the railway station I checked-in and was assigned my seat. The Tranz Alpine train was mostly the same as the Trans Coastal train. As the trained pulled out of the station a light rain began to fall. Clouds and fog obscured the scenary I was hoping to see. For the first few hours there wasn’t much to see because of the weather. However, by the time we reached the upper mountains near Arthur’s Pass the skies had cleared affording everyone some wonderful views of the mountains. Some of the passengers disembarked when the train made a scheduled stop at Arthur’s Pass. Unless you plan to hike around the area, there just isn’t much to do for the five hours until the Tranz Alpine passes through again on its way back to Christchurch. There is a visitor center, restaurant, and a few shops, but not much else.

The train continued to Greymouth passing through scenic valleys as it descended from the mountains. Upon arrival in Greymouth a large number of passengers boarded buses for other destinations while others, including me, had about 90 minutes to wander through the town and grab a meal. Greymouth is a small town that one can stroll through in a few hours. After wandering through the town I returned to the train station for the trip back to Christchurch. The weather was much better on the return trip which allowed me to see some of the scenary I missed earlier. As with the Tranz Coastal train, the conductor provided some interesting and informative commentary as we traveled through the scenic mountains and valleys. The roundtrip on the Tranz Alpine made for a long day sitting on the train. I would recommend taking this train journey one way on your way to another destination on the South Island’s West Coast. The cost for the roundtrip ticket was about NZ$75.

The next day I would head home to San Francisco.....

coastsider

April 19, 2004
Christchurch – Auckland – Los Angeles – San Francisco
Qantas QF4118 – Economy Class – Seat 19A (737-400)
Air New Zealand NZ2 - Business Class – Seat 11A (747-400)
United – First Class – Seat 1A (757-200)
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I caught one of the shuttle vans to the airport (NZ$5) and checked-in for my Qantas flight to Auckland. The flight was pleasant and afforded one last opportunity to see the beauty of New Zealand from the air. I arrived in the domestic terminal and made the pleasant 15 minute walk to the international terminal. I scheduled my Qantas flight early in the day in case there were some delays as I didn’t want to miss my Air New Zealand flight home.

Originally, I had planned to take the bus into downtown Auckland and do some sightseeing and shopping but after three weeks on the road I was tired and decided to try and get a bit of rest before my long flight home. I had heard Auckland airport has day rooms that can be rented for up to six hours. I confirmed this with an airport employee but learned the rooms are airside. This presented a problem because my flight was not scheduled to depart for eight hours and the flight was not yet open for check-in. Without checking-in I could not get airside. I contacted one of the agents at the Air New Zealand Business Class counter and explained my situation. She called her supervisor who said that although it was not usual to check-in passengers so early she would make an exception and get me checked-in. Within a few minutes I was checked-in and paid my NZ$25 departure fee. I passed through the immigration check-point for premium passengers without a wait and headed to a store called the Collection Point to rent a room.

The cost of a single bed room for six hours was NZ$45. One of the people at the store provided me with a towel and a bar of soap and escorted me to the day rooms located on the ground level in the middle of the terminal. There were five rooms with separate restrooms for men and women and a common shower. The room I was assigned contained a single bed, a small desk, and a small TV with only about four channels for viewing. While it appeared the room had been cleaned and the sheets on the bed changed, I was dismayed to find the blanket covering the bed had hair and dust on it. Needless to say the blanket and top sheet of the bed quickly found their way to the floor and my towel served as my secondary bedsheet for the few hours I was able to sleep. The restrooms were clean but the shower appeared as though it hadn’t been serviced for a while as there was a pile of wet towels on the floor next to the shower. I was rather disappointed with the day room but for what I paid I guess it wasn’t that bad.

A few hours before my flight I had hoped to grab a light meal. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of decent food establishments airside. I decided to see what might be available in the Air New Zealand Lounge. The lounge was very nice (but not as nice as the lounge at the Sydney Airport) and offered a respectable selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and an assortment of dry snacks and cold food items, but no hot food. I snacked on what was available which tied me over until the evening meal served on the plane.

I did some last minute gift shopping at the airside shopping arcade and was surprised to find the prices were no higher than what I found outside the airport. In fact, I ended up purchasing several items that were on sale that cost about 30% less than what I had seen elsewhere.

After passing through the secondary security screening (required for all flights to the U.S.), I waited with the other passengers to board. Premium passengers were allowed to board first. I was greeting by the pursor as I stepped onto the plane and directed to the upper deck where I found my exit row seat; 11A. Although the window was partially behind the seat I was still able to see outside. The extra leg room of the exit row was fantastic. A small but nice amenities kit with some lotions, a tooth brush, a comb, and some eye shades was provided to each passenger. The upper deck passengers were served pre-flight beverages before the plane departed. Dinner was served about 90 minutes after departure. The menu was as follows:

APPETIZER

Melon and Prosciutto salad with rocket, parmesan and almonds

MAIN COURSE

Horopito (NZ bush pepper) spiced New Zealand Lamb with fondant potatoes, minted pea puree, green beans and tomato salsa

-or-

Grilled trio of Marlborough Salmon served on fettucine with roasted red pepper cream sauce, courgettes and dill pesto

-or-

Herb and Mustard Chicken with rosemary rosti potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and red wine mustard sauce

DESSERT

Gourmet Ice Cream dessert of Kapiti Apple Crumble ice cream and Kapiti Boysenberry ice cream

-or-

Baked Vanilla nd Chocolate Cheesecake with black morello cherry sauce

CHEESE AND FRUIT

A selection of fine New Zealand cheese and seasonal fruit

There was an extensive wine and spirit list which is too long to list in this report. I selected the salmon which I found to be quite good. The fettucine noodles, however, were a bit soggy. The ice cream was delicious and the cheese and fruit equally good. Breakfast was served about 90 minutes prior to arrival in Los Angeles. The menu was as follows:

BEVERAGES

Fruit smoothie, your choice of juice, freshly brewed coffee, tea, or hot chocolate

CONTINENTAL SELECTION

Fruit selection with assorted cereals and yoghurts

Croissants, muffins, white and wholemeal toast with fruit conserve

HOT OPTIONS

Three egg omelette filled with spinach, onions and gruyere, served with tomato, bacon, and sausage

Poached Eggs with hollandaise sauce, grilled ham, potat rosti and roma tomato

Field mushroom ragout with seared roma tomatoes and grilled Canadian bacon

The in-flight service was pleasant and efficient with the FA’s passing through the cabin throughout the flight re-filling water glasses as necessary and providing snacks to those who asked for them. Most of the passengers slept for the majority of the night flight. The flight arrived on time. The arrivals hall was packed with people. It took nearly an hour to clear immigration but only a few minutes to clear customs. Fortunately my connecting flight to San Francisco was not due to depart for three hours from Terminal 7. I decided to walk to Terminal 7 on the opposite side of the airport. The walk gave me a chance to stretch my legs after sitting on the plane for twelve hours.

I cleared security again and made my way to the Red Carpet Club in Terminal 7. In contrast to the lounge in Auckland, the RCC was packed with people and was quite noisy. There was no food available other than some dry snacks and a limited offering of beverages. I parked myself in a lounge chair for about an hour then went to the gate. My short flight to San Francisco departed on time and was uneventful, although the in-flight service was better than I had experienced on several other previous United domestic flights.

After three weeks on the road it was good to be back home in the Bay Area. However, I am truly looking forward to a return trip to both Australia and New Zealand. Next time I plan on renting a camper van and driving to all the small towns and villages I didn’t have time to see this trip and to meeting and spending more time with the locals of both of these wonderful countries. I hope all who have read this found it interesting and informative.

Kiwi Flyer

Nice report coastsider ^ ^ ^

Wellington nightlife is very much centred on Courtney Place & Cuba Street.

I think the train stop would be Paremata (rather than Plimmerton which is quite a bit further on). A less strenous way to get there would be to get off the train at Porirua and then take Ascot Park bus, or a short taxi ride.

Te Papa is good and has lots of hands on stuff for kiddies (and young at heart!) and exhibitions (as well as the permanent displays). You can easily spend a whole day here. Note it can get quite crowded during school holidays if the weather is wet.

Leumas

Great report! Enjoyed reading it and glad you enjoyed your time in NZ. ^

Te Papa is an excellent museum, and is often under-rated by the locals.

You're right in that the financial district (if you can call it a 'district') is pretty much dead after hours. Go along Featherson Street rather than Lambton Quay and you'll find a few bars and restaurants. There're also several good places among the streets joining Featherson Street and Lambton Quay.

Come back next time and I can show you some of the more exotic places around Wellington. This invites extends to anyone here too!

mad_atta

Great report, coastsider - thanks. Good to hear you enjoyed yourself in NZ. I was amused to see you arrived 90 minutes early for a domestic flight from Rotorua airport - I usually find 20 mins ample for flights from small NZ airports!

coastsider

Kiwi Flyer:

Indeed you are correct! I misread my notes. Thanks for the other public transit information! There did not appear to be a bus heading from the Paremata Station towards the Police College so disembarking from the train at the Porirua Station and catching the bus would indeed be a less strenuous journey. Nevertheless, the walk from the Paremata Station was still pleasant. Thanks for taking the time to read my report and your comments.