NZ Train Journey, Day One: Wellington

Ok, so I'm finally getting to recounting my two-week train journey across New Zealand. In hindsight, it was really a journey to Wellington and the South Island, because on Day One I took the Overlander train from Auckland to Wellington without hopping off anywhere (a 12-hour trip across the whole of the North Island) and then on Day Fourteen I took the same train back, again without stopping. I figure that I will have plenty of time and opportunity to see the North Island if I can manage to land a job in Auckland. If not, oh well. I'd describe the train journey, but I'm no good at flowery language (or I just have no patience for it), I've already posted videos, and anyone can go rent Lord of the Rings (yes, that is actually what it looks like), so do so.

So, Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. I'll recount both stops here, coming and going, because their contrast illustrate quite well some of the advantages and disadvantages of this city. Upon arriving at about 7:30pm to the downtown station (see pic in earlier post) I literally walked across the street (after grabbing some cheap beer at the grocery store inside the station - nice) to check into my hostel, the Downtown Backpackers lodge. I "splurged" on a single room, rather than have to share a dorm with others. I still had more than an hour of daylight to kill, so I decided to have a walk through the CBD to get a lay of the land and try to find some nightlife spots to visit later. Central Wellington is quite compact and built-up, so despite the fact that it is a fraction the population of Auckland, it feels of similar size (if not larger) if you contain yourself to the CBD and surrounding neighborhoods, without taking in the sprawling suburbs. So an hour and a half was plenty of time to stroll downtown and come back.


View Wellington in a larger map

Back at the hostel I polished of my beer (I only bought two) and then hit the bar within the hostel for happy hour and free pool. I hopped on a table with a European couple (French male, Brit female) and taught them how to play Cutthroat. I then cut their throats 3 of 4 games before the French guy decided to quit. After that I decided to hit the town again. I started at Cuba Street, Wellington's funky nightlife and commercial strip. Savannah people would like it. I first dropped in a spot called Matterhorn, which many consider the best bar in New Zealand, and ranks as one of the best bars in the world. However, being Monday, it was a bit dead so I headed across the way to an Irish place. It had a few people in it, including three from the crew of the Bob Barker, which was in port. I joined them for a drink, telling them how my sister was invited to crew on the Steve Irwin, but they didn't believe me. You see, these ships are so special that they get tons of unsolicited resumes and applications, and it is unheard of that someone would be invited to join, and then refuse. If you know Audrey, or have seen her recent AK-47 videos, you'll know why she would never have fit in... uppity jerks. So next I went to Courtenay Place - a crescent shaped street spanning a few blocks, wall-to-wall entertainment/nightlife/restaurants. Still, Monday night, so pretty dead, but I did find another Irish place with a few people in it. One of these people was an Irish fellow named Tony (NZ is infested with them), a structural engineer working in Christchurch, and coincidentally staying at the same hostel. So we buddied up and hit the next bar together, which was a place called the Malthouse, my favorite so far - great selection and a very knowledgeable staff - the bartender introduced me to a wonderful dry cider that I'd never tried before (and now I can't remember what it was). Another American at the bar, Isak, joined in our conversation about bizarre parasites and mind control (see Atlantic article here). The three of us closed down Malthouse, so Isak took us to a late-nite spot near his apartment called the Fringe Bar. We only stayed indoors long enough to order beers, then hit the tables on the street outside to continue discussing interesting things. By that time it was quite late, so Tony and I decided to return to the hostel by cab, but Isak agreed to meet us the next night at the hostel bar for happy hour (he'd stayed there as well when he first moved to town).

Seeing as this post has gone on longer then I intended, I'm cutting this one off here. In the next post I will recount Day Two's activities, which involve considerably less alcohol, and considerably more pictures and video.