Auckland to Wellington

Auckland to Wellington

Part 1 of the trip report mainly concentrates on the South Island part of our extension, but the extension actually started in Wellington, so that is were I shall start. The remainder of our extension itinerary covering North Island will be in Extension Itinerary Part 2 (watch out for that later).

10 Feb - Overland train from Auckland to Wellington (booked via tourist board).

10 Feb - 14 Feb - Wellington Youth Hostel (the only place with availability (there was some rugby tournament on just before and all accommodation was booked up!) This was our first time in a YHA in years (we are both in our 50's). We did get a private double en-suite room though! We were due to leave Wellington on the 14th February, so we spent our last night in Wellington on my IHC points at the Holiday Inn (lovely free upgrade) as the YHA was fully booked for that last night. We finalised our remaining time in NZ whilst at the YHA in Wellington - we were positively amazed at the quality of the YH network and the extent of it throughout NZ, and the majority of our time was to be spent in YH's or associates - and what a treat to cook for ourselves at last rather than eating out all the time. It also kept our costs much lower which allowed us to save our money for experiences. Before leaving Wellington we had joined the YHA for the year and found that the savings on nightly accommodation more than exceeded the annual fee. We later found out that we were to get YHA discounts all over the place which saved us more.

A useful tip here - get leaflets and brochures from the local I-Site's throughout NZ as there are loads of extras and money off coupons to stretch your pennies even further.

In Wellington, aside from finalising planning and making our accommodation bookings, we also did a guided walk booked and arranged through the Wellington I-Site which gave us the background and history of Wellington and the culture of the place. Very useful orientation. Even though it was the NZ summer, we also found out why the place is called the windy city - gusts nearly took you off your feet around every corner. My o/h had to track down an emergency dentist due to a disintegrating tooth, which was quickly and cheaply sorted out (and is still fine to this day). The other 2 highlights of Wellington were a guided visit around the NZ Parliament, which was entertaining, enlightening, fun and dry (it rained quiet a bit as well). The Maori meeting room is exquisitely carved, and you can buy special stamps and postcards from the Parliament which are then given a special post mark. On the wettest day of all we spent the whole day, and evening, in the Te Papa museum - mega is all we can say (in size and exhibitions). If you only see one museum whilst in NZ - it has to be Te Papa, try out the earthquake house!

Travel tip - you find proper shops in Wellington! I needed some new clothes and underwear and found Farmers to be good and cheap. The lack of high street shops, which we are used to in the UK, was both a hindrance and yet wonderfully different in NZ. The typical high street landscape is full of individual shops and a great places to shop, and farm shops by the roadside for snacks and shopping for meals. For food shopping we found New World excellent, and Four Square ok. For even cheaper clothes and picnic hardware items the best place is The Warehouse (although I also picked up some very cheap underwear and t-shirts here).





New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington