I awoke naturally 5 minutes before the alarm sounded. It was cold in New Plymouth, very gusty. The duvet was very warm and it was difficult to resist the temptation to stay snug under cover. I forced myself up and in to the shower before anyone else on our floor had stirred, Ian included.
We set off for Pukekura Park in New Plymouth which turned out to be an absolute delight. The ducks were still sleeping so naturally we disturbed them and I panicked a mother duck in to a complete frenzy when I tried to take photographs of her six ducklings. They were so cute and reacted to their mothers warning, all of them got further from her in their efforts to get closer to her. She had no control over them at all. The little cuties tried to climb out of the water, closer to where I was poised then flopped straight back in to the lake. They hauled themselves on to lily leaves and then back in to the water. Eventually mother duck rounded up her offspring and stood with them on the path not 5 metres from where I had been standing all along. I had my pictures. I moved on.
Ian led the way through the park to where a giant Ginkgo Biloba tree stood that was planted in the 1880s, then on to a giant Puriri tree that was two thousand years old. The walk back to the main lake took us past English Oaks and Norfolk Pines, Rhododendrons and other colourful flowers.
We then found a fernery which was a beautiful mass of soft green ferns so busily arranged you couldn't take them all in. It was a treasure trove. Connecting the fernery to garden houses were short, damp tunnels with moss and home to the beginnings of other new ferns which had taken up root on the walls. In the garden houses the colours were amazing. It was noticeably more humid than elsewhere in the gardens and there were so many beautiful flowers and plants that I had not seen before. It was a real treasure to the park and definately worth a visit.
Out of New Plymouth towards Wellington was our next move. We had decided to pay a visit to Mount Taranaki by taking the East Egmont Village route in to Egmont National Park. When we reached the plateau car park we had an intention to go for a walk. However, as the wind was strong enough to force the car doors closed and rock the car as a mother would rock her child's cradle we decided we weren't prepared enough for such activities and stayed within the car whilst photographing the snow capped peak. There were large clouds being forced up the summit, then as they passed over the mountain they were pushed down the other side dispersing as they went. It was like watching a dance there was so much movement. We opted for the warm option and increased our cosy factor with a nice hot drink at the the Mountain House Cafe, which doubled as a hotel and restaurant, where I was surprised to find a sauna in the ladies restroom!
The afternoon was spent driving. We stopped at Wanganui for a cheapish lunch and Ian and I played tag taking it in turns to drive as the other tired. Both of us were sleepy and needed some kip. My eyes were dry from staring at the road. The winds were strong too which made the driving hard work. I had already arranged accommodation for the next two nights in Wellington so there was no need for me to keep my eyes open and drifted off to sleep for an hour...
When I awoke we were approaching Wellington, at 17:00. We found the youth hostel straight away and checked in. We have a view across a supermarket to the harbour and can see the ferry terminal and beyond to the southern east coast of the North Island. Having imported our luggage to the hostel Ian enquired about the crossing to Picton on the South Island. Within minutes we had our ferry crossing booked, scheduled for 08:00 departure on Tuesday 17 December 2002. It cost an extortionate NZD 286 for a car and two people which will of course be treated as an exceptional item in the funding figures!
I found a leaflet regarding the TranzAlpine train journey in which we want to partake on New Years Day. We managed to get a 'special price' for returning on the same day which works out cheaper than the YHA 20% discount. I booked our places for the return trip which I am really looking forward to. I can't think of a better way to spend New Years Day in New Zealand than seeing some of the most spectacular views by train.
Our journey from New Plymouth to Wellington covered 416 kilometres.
It was high time we did some laundry as we haven't since Auckland so we are sat in the laundry room on the sixth floor of the youth hostel with a view over the harbour, writing our journals and waiting for the dryer to do its stuff.
We enjoyed a curry from the British influenced 'taste of pint and curry' during which Ian reminisced about Birmingham and their infamous curry houses... It was the first curry I enjoyed and wolfed the entire dish down.
Copyright 2002 Helen Fuller. All rights reserved.