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.....