27 Dec 2003 - 7th day in New Zealand
0750 - Up early as usual. This morning, I check out of my hotel here in Wellington and then I'll wend my way up the eastern side of the North Island. Check out time is 1100. Before now and then, I plan to find a cup of coffee (already had some Muesli), check/send e-mail again and pack.
2230 - I'm at a place on the coast called Riversdale Beach. It a long ways off of hwy 2 to get here but when you arrive, its a popular and pretty spot.
But, let's go backwards and work through the day in order.
I checked out of the hotel about 1000 and there were some problems. They gave me the bill to inspect and it showed I was to pay $250NZ/night. That seemed really high to me so I pulled out my printouts from the day we reserved the room (30Nov03) and had a look at them. They showed that I had signed up for a room at 104.25US/night.
A long conversation ensued and my papers were inspected closely by all of us. My papers clearly showed that I had booked at $104.25 on all the pages but on the last page, it also\said that I would be charged $250NZ per night after currency conversion and taxes.
I told them that there was something rather "Bait and Switch" about this and it smelled. I told them that the right thing to do was to start from $104.25, run the currency conversion and then add the 12.5% GST (General Sales Tax?) tax. After some phone calls, they agreed that this would be fair and correct. So, my bill dropped by $250NZ. Jeez!
Outside, I loaded my stuff into my van and took off. Leaving Wellington was vastly easier than arriving. As I pull out onto The Terrace, I noted a freeway sign a block and a half ahead and when I got there, it mentioned Highway 2 which was my chosen road out of town. So, it was a snap.
I drove north on Hwy 2 through Lower Hutt and then Upper Hutt. This entire area looks as it it serves as bedroom communities for folks working in Wellington.
In Upper Hutt, I put diesel into the van for the second time since I picked it up in Auckland. This far, I've put less than 1000 km on it (about 600 miles). The service station was very much like ours at home except there was not credit card station at the pump. You pumped your fuel and then went inside and told them which pump was yours. Inside, it was very much like a 7-11 at home with an assortment of quick shopping snacks and stuff.
In Featherstone, I stopped and went shopping at a market to replenish my refrigerator supplies. The stuff I bought in Te Awamutu was now five days old and it wasn't certain that the fridge had run for all three days I'd been in the hotel in Wellington. So, more bread, cheese and ham slices for sandwiches, a six pack of Tui beer for evening relaxation, some more Muesli for breakfast - total cost about $22NZ, I think.
I walk up and down the sidewalks on Featherstone's main street. A lot like the other small NZ towns I've been in. Some antique shops, a realty office, a butcher, two markets (one which I shopped at and the other run by a family named Chung with signs all over the windows proclaiming "Price War" - that they would match any price the other store had). Some empty store fronts, a beauty parlor and other assorted stuff including a pub or two.
I'd
noted a railway museum on my walk through Featherstone so when I left the store
after my walk, I pulled in at the museum jus a moment later. It was
called the Fell Locomotive Museum. $4NZ to gain entry and then I was
in. They were just beginning a 20 minute movie about the history of a
local railway which last operated in 1955. It was interesting.
The grade was as steep as 1 in 13 and they had special tracks with a third rail
in the center which was gripped from the sides by brakes and/or driving wheels
on the locomotives. They also equipped downhill bound trains with up
to five special braking carriages whose only purpose was to augment the braking
capacity to prevent runaways. In its time, it was quite and operation.
Sitting there watching the film and talking with the folks afterwards reminded
me strongly of a presentation Sharon and I saw in Monroe, at home, about the
early railroads punched through the Stevens Pass area over the Cascades.
Here, like at home, the old rail beds and tunnels are abandoned and have turned
into hiking trails and ghost towns.
I'd passed through a range of mountains as I'd come from Upper Hutt to Featherstone. These were the same ones that the old railway crossed and serviced from the late 19th century until 1955. The museum had one of the braking carriages and one of the three rail locomotives restored and on display along with many photographs of the line when it was being constructed and in operation and a number of others shot on the day in 1955 when the last train crossed the grade.
From Featherstone, I continued up Hwy 2 towards Masterton. From Masterton, I intended to work my way to the east over county roads to a place marked Riversdale Beach (beautiful beach) on the map. I was in good shape to go wandering - I had fuel, food and time.
At Masterton, I was scanning for a place to eat lunch and I spied a restaurant called the Slow Food Cafe. It looked nice and had an intriguing name so I pulled in. It was very nice, indeed. Inside and outside dining. Spacious and nicely done. I opted to sit outside after a look at the weather (which changes by the hour here all the time because all the weather comes in from the west over the Tasman Sea (they are, after all, in the latitudes of the "Roaring Forties"). I had along with me Brockman's book which I am savoring like fine wine. Over lunch I read an essay by Hans Moravec entitled, "Making Minds". Fascinating. The food service was relatively slow which suited me. I had a grilled Salmon, a cup of coffee which surprised me (more on that in a moment) and afterwards, a piece of Parsnip Cake with a small side on Yogurt.
The coffee.... On the menu, I saw coffee and I asked for a cup and the waitress replied, "What kind", so I looked again. Maybe six varieties there - lattes, etc. and two marked, "Tall Black" and "Short Black". I asked her what these were and she said that the Tall Black had water added to dilute it whereas the Short did not. I ordered a Short thinking I would get a regular cup of coffee. Nope. It came in a small demitasse cup and it was obviously a strong shot of what we'd call espresso. As usual, I had to smile at myself and all the small things that differ one country and culture from another - even two as similar as the US and NZ. I drank the espresso after putting a bit of cream and sugar into it.
I took my time over lunch. The skies here are huge and utterly clear and with the changeable weather, they are often filled with interesting and fast moving clouds. It was like that out at my table whenever I looked up from eating and reading. I felt no hurry to continue down the road. I have to say that I like the sounds of the New Zealand accent (at least it is an accent to my ears through I know they'd disagree as to who has the accent). I like the voices murmuring around me with their unique and interesting inflections - there's something very nice about it. Have I mentioned that I like this place?
Speaking of accents, I'm aware of mine every time I open my mouth and I actually enjoy it. I remember how interesting and notable a New Zealand or an Australian accent sounds to me when I hear one at home and I imagine that it is the same but reversed here. And, indeed, I barely speak a word or two and someone will say, "How long are you visiting for?" or "Oh, you're an American - how are you?". And you feel immediately welcomed by people who are interested and curious to know a bit of your story.
From the restaurant, I wandered through the east side of Masterton watching for signs that mentioned Riversdale Beach and after awhile, I found one and took the road. It was about 25 km out to the coast. All of it through green rolling country. Some given over to sheep and some to managed forests of trees derived from our Monterrey pines. I've taken a picture of these before. They intentionally cut the lower branches up. Something about the trees or their needles keeps much from growing on the floor underneath so their forests look like the ones I remember from Germany where the ground is picked clean. John, the manager here at the Riversdale Beach Motor Park told me that most of these trees are bound for Japan - as their planting, growth and harvesting have all been arranged by them.
The road to Riversdale was nice.
The
town itself exists for summer residences. There's a motor camp, the
Riversdale Beach Motor Camp where I pulled in and John and Nell McDonald, the
proprietors leased me a site for $15NZ for the night.
I went out onto the beach and shot a full circle of pictures which are here to give a sense of the place.
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I'd changed into shorts and I stood out in the surf up to my knees for awhile. The water is cool but not as extreme as Southern California with the Alaska Current. Then, I went for a slow run up the beach to the north to see what was there. I poked around and looked around in the rocks for a bit and then ran back.
I sat out in a chair and read for a while and then went out and had another look at the beach and the sky. The sky, as I said earlier, is quite amazing here. Then, when I came back to my van, Nell called from up at their house above where I was camped that I should come up for a glass of wine, which was an invitation I was glad to receive.
Several
people were there or came and went while we visited. John and Nell, Cliff
and his wife Colleen who have a big bus setup as a batch next to John and Nell's
place.
A
policeman who's come down from the Auckland area to take over patrolling here,
his name was Chris Gallagher and we all had a lot of fun with that. He had
lots of fun stories to tell. His wife and boy were also there. We
sat and talked until after 10 PM. Very nice and friendly folks, all.
Cliff has worked around plants a lot so we talked about the nursery biz quite a
bit. I took a picture of the group as I left.
After that I turned in.