New Zealand: Christchurch to Wellington to Auckland

If I were doing it again, I would have added an additional week to the trip. (See previous New Zealand posts.) But after the TranzAlpine train, due to both the distances and travel options available, it was time to begin the journey back. Points further south in New Zealand would have to wait for another trip.

The next day, we awoke to yet another dawn spectacle as we made our way to the scenic Coastal Pacific train which runs up the east coast of the South Island, to Picton.

We’d covered a similar route by bus a few days before; but this was by a far more comfortable train, and the views were in the opposite direction.

As before, there was an abundance of scenery along the way.

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Parts of the trip are practically in the surf:

Brief clip 1: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NFQumTCAuSc5Eptw5

Brief clip 2: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4oXWbxEcb9GcR8xN6

At Picton, we immediately transferred to a ferry (the train, bus and ferry schedules are coordinated to allow this), and settled in for another long, windy, showery crossing back to Wellington.

Brief clip 1 (from the sheltered, lee side of the ship): https://photos.app.goo.gl/JkjRrwCUFRW4qpAp9

Brief clip 2: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rQpaXB7yUMBq6AvNA

Finally back in Wellington that evening, feeling very tired, we checked into the Park Hotel Lambton Quay. Sad to say, we found stained furniture, a soiled duvet, and other annoyances. For the money they charge, I definitely felt ripped off — the only such negative experience we had in New Zealand.

Christchurch to Wellington, stills and videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/75WhdvYSTN5sLugm9

We had originally wanted to take a train from Wellington back to Auckland, which would have let us follow a different route than we had taken with the guided tour, but the north-south trains run on a limited schedule, and none meshed with our travel plans.

So, instead, we’d planned just an overnight in Wellington and a short flight to Auckland the next day. This would open up our last full day in New Zealand to explore the city of Auckland. (We’d blown through on a tight schedule without really seeing anything on our way in.)

After an overpriced night in an disappointing hotel, we headed to the airport and made the short, uneventful flight to Auckland.

I’d reserved rooms again at the Naumi; close to the airport. We arrived, checked into a room as nice as the first we’d had, and — dead tired from too many back-to-back travel days — turned in early.

For the next day — our last in New Zealand — we planned to explore Auckland up until we had to leave for our overnight flight back to the States.

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