Last night was a very different night for us. The winds were incredible and we learned were gale force (whatever that means). We slept lightly since we wondered if the canvass on the back of van would stay clipped in place or would fall off. It stayed in place but by morning the wind had died down a bit. However, weather wise, we are back to cloudy weather and the threat of rain.
We have to leave today for Wellington which is about a 4 hour drive and we want to get there early enough to spend some time exploring. We had been advised that the best route to take was highway 2 which is most direct but also takes us through some really pretty mountainous areas. Also we would be going right by the area used for Ribbondale in Lord of the Flies.
Wes drove the first part of the day and as we travelled we could not believe the cross winds that were gusting around us. The van was being pushed around a lot and Wes was focused totally (with white knuckles) and of course our speed was reduced. The clouds turned to rain and shortly we were traveling down the highway with high winds and driving rain. This sounds exciting doesn’t it?
At any rate, after driving for a couple of hours we switched driving and started to look for a place to have lunch. It is hard to decide (when traveling we don’t bother making lunch since the Spaceship van does not really have a kitchen area) whether to grab a bit at McDonald’s (Wes’ preference) or to find a place and have a hot NZ pie (my preference now). As it turns out our decision was made for us.
We got to Featherstone to learn that the highway was closed due to high winds in the higher level. This portion of the highway winds up through the ‘mountain’ range and then down the other side to reach Wellington. We checked with the gas station and the highway had been closed already for a couple of hours (and the cars lined up on the highway attested to that fact) and there was no indication as to when it would reopen. We decided to find a place for lunch (meat pies it is folks) and started to talk to others who were there waiting for the road to open. On route we passed the beer brewery for the New Zealand beer Tui. Very good beer I would like to add.
We had an option of returning the way we came and going via the other route (highway 1) but that would be another 4 hours driving. Or we could wait and continue the way we were going which would be about a 45 minute drive. We chatted with a few people but in particular we talked to a young couple with 4 kids who were debating the same. Of course it is very different when dealing with young kids. Fortunately shortly after we finished our lunch and were still debating the word came back that the road was opening. What a relief.
However as you can see the road now was very busy with traffic that had been lined up for hours and the winds were still very strong but with care no problem was anticipated. We traveled this narrow and very windy uphill road at a very slow pace since the fastest we could go was determined by the car ahead. We finally arrived on the other side of the mountain with no mishaps. We had considered stopping at the National Park which was used for the backdrop of Ribbondale in Lord of the Rings, but by now we looked at the rain, wind and time and decided to stay on route. You could definitely see the countryside used even as we drove by but I suspect that going into the park we may have seen close areas used.
We got to Welllington and had decided that the only campsite we could find in the city was actually a backpackers campsite which means it really is more a hostel. Our alternative was a campsite about 25 km outside of the city so we decided to stay here since they offered (for $30) the parking lot to park the camper and sleep for the night. We have full access to all the facilities. This is not our first choice but for one night it will be fine.
We had been delayed so we were not sure how much of Wellington we would be able to see but one of the goals was to go to the Museum of New Zealand, Le Papa Tongarewa which is only a couple of minutes from were we are staying. This is one of the reasons we did not want to go to the campground outside of town since to drive back and forth today and then in the morning means we would not have much time to explore. We are in town so exploration is more efficient and possible.
The museum was excellent. We learned more about the make up of New Zealand which really is where the Australian and the Pacific Plates meet and overlap. The volcanoes and earth quakes are caused by the friction and movement. New Zealand is growing and land is being pushed upward. The displays and explanations were well done and in one exhibit you walk into a ‘house’ and watch a short video about the 1931 earth quake complete with visual effects and physical movement to give you a good sense of what it feels like to be in a house during an earth quake.
Other exhibits displayed both extinct and current wildlife of New Zealand. There were lots of stuffed animals as well as ‘crafted’ animals/birds to provide visual representation of native animals and birds. The display of the Giant Moa and Giant Eagle was very impressive and the size of the Moa was hard to imagine. I would not want to meet that bird in the wild.
Out the back door is a ‘Forest Walk’ that takes you through a wooded area with explanations of the native trees and vegetation. There is even a ‘cave’ where you can see representatives of stalactite, stalagmite, and columns. In one section it had a setup of ‘glow worms’ to give a sense of them in a cave.
We also had a chance to watch a couple of video clips about the history of the Mori and their understanding of the beginning of life in New Zealand. Other video clips included people’s stories and things they are doing to preserve the memories and ecology of New Zealand.
We did not realize that 2 hours went very quickly and we did not even get to the last floor to look at the displays. The museum was about to close so we headed back to camp and prepared dinner. Tomorrow we may return to complete the tour since we do not have to be a the ferry terminal until 12 – but if the sun is shining we may explore other areas of the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment