Things are going very well. Ann Marie is settling in, and has even got a new job! We have also started to carve the north island up into weekend get-aways. That will be an efficient and cheap way for us to travel while we're working over the next two months.
Our first (of what will hopefully be many trips) was an extended weekend in Auckland. We decided to take the scenic railway all the way from Wellington (for comparison - this is a little longer than taking Amtrak from Chicago to Minneapolis). The Overlander train was a fantastic way to travel cross-country. I love trains because of the freedom to stand up, move around, and even go outside! The scenic trains in NZ (you may remember I took the coastal train from Christchurch to Wellington a few weeks after I arrived here) usually have an open car for optimal photos. I think Ann Marie and I spent about half our train ride on the open car, and ended up with 300-some pictures. It is true that the pictures are all of farmland, but this might be the most beautiful farmland in the world:
Our trip was unexpectedly delayed though. I heard a scratchy announcement from the conductor when we were on the viewing platform - the word was that they were kicking us off the train halfway to Auckland and putting us on buses for the rest of the trip (a cargo-train had derailed earlier up the track). Ann Marie and I quickly pulled out the travel books to see if we should stay the night, instead of taking the bus to Auckland. We decided if one of the local hostels had room for us, and if the train would honor our tickets the next day, we would stay and do some hiking. Here I am, trekking (and carrying ALL of our stuff!) from the train station into the 9 square blocks of National Park city, located at the base of Mt Ruapehu - one of the active volcanoes on the north island:
After settling in at Howard's lodge (the ultimate ski-bum's hostel), we went for a quick hike outside the town. There was a 12km track through the rainforest near our hostel. We aimed for the first scenic point on the trail - the Mt. Taranaki lookout (Taranaki is a large peak on the west coast of the island... Mom & Dad - it used to be called Mt. Egmont). After an hour (during which we learned all about rain in the rainforest) we got to the lookout - but the mountain was missing!!
Here is Ann Marie in the mossy and rainy forest:
We enjoyed the hike nonetheless. After, we met our german roommate Carolyn, did some shopping at the local store (gas station) and grabbed dinner at the corner pub. At that point we crashed (in bunk-beds! I wish I had gotten a picture) - it had been a long day - but I still managed to get up around midnight to catch the All Blacks against Portugal (it was a one-sided affair, but people down here are still talking about the Portuguese during their national anthem - as a semi-professional team, it was amazing that they even made the World Cup, and the pride and excitement showed as they belted out "A Portuguesa").
The next day, we tried to hike on the mountain side, but it was too rainy. We learned a bit about volcanoes, had a lot of coffee, met a nice couple from Texas, and got back on the train.
Luckily, the rain was localized to the mountains, and very quickly we were back into sunny scenery. One of the coolest features of the Overlander train route, is the "spiral". This is an engineer's highlight of the train route - coming out of the mountains and the national park, the terrain descends quite quickly. To compensate, the track does a 540 degree circle, backtracking underneath itself twice, kinda like a roller coaster track might do. At several points on the track, we were able to look back and see the track we had just traversed. Check out this link for a birds-eye view: http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/images/imagegallery/Print%20versions/15%20The%20Overlander.jpg
Finally, we arrived in Auckland. Our activities included taking the harbor ferry to the extinct volcano Rangitoto, which we hiked to the top. Below is my post-climb euphoria, and the great view over Auckland, it's harbor, and suburbs.
We also spent some time in Devonport - a sleepy beachside town, ten minutes on the ferry from the central business district of Auckland (my co-worker called it the million dollar-mile because of its housing costs). There were several round-topped hills there, which in the 17 and 1800's were the location of Maori Pa, or fortified villages. Ann Marie and I scampered up to the top of one, which may have been the highlight of the trip for me. I was enamored with the view, and the way these hills looked compared to the surrounding landscape.
When we got back from Auckland (we flew, rather than taking the train round trip), Ann Marie started her new job, with the Ministry of Economic Development, which is where my cousin Carsten used to work too. It's only another 5 minutes down the road from my office, so we are both close to home and the city center.
In other news, we spent some time last weekend getting to know the Marines next door (along with Andy, the three of us crashed their party on Friday night) and may barbeque with them next weekend. More on that, our upcoming trip to Hawke's Bay, and my new office location (we're moving) soon. Hope everyone out there is doing well and enjoying themselves.
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