Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

For us it was an easy day. We laid in for a bit watching the news from Japan, chatting on the internet and reading. By late morning we felt we should go out and appreciate the excellent weather outside. We walked up river to the next bridge and crossed over. On the other side of the river was a thin but long riverside park which walked through. In one section we found ourselves walking along a bamboo tunnel which made us feel we were somewhere else altogether. Although quite long it turned out to be a dead end so we back tracked and stuck to more obvious paths.

Opposite the bridge back into town there was a stairway leading up the hill to the two towers that overlooked the area. We had the option to take an elevator which could be reached by a tunnel into the hill but we opted for the exercise. We made it up fairly quickly and only paused for breath when we reached the top of the lower building which was the top of the elevator shaft. From here the views were grand. I had hoped to see the volcanoes of Tongariro and Egmont in the distance but it was too misty for that.

What we could see was the higher tower nearby and of course that had to be climbed. We made short work of the climb and enjoyed the slightly higher view offered from this tower. Sadly, both towers had been used as urinals at the top which made it unpleasant to hang around. The taller tower had a population of sand flies hanging around at the top so we didn’t stay long.

We headed down the steps we had ascended and made our way to the nearby mall and supermarket where we picked up a few bits and pieces as well as lunch. We then walked back to our accommodation along the bank of the river.

We drove back to the supermarket late afternoon to pick up dinner. We treated ourselves to steaks which we only do rarely. Having learned that the special offers on wine cycle on Monday mornings we picked up a dozen bottles of something we liked to be consumed later in the year. Once we’re in Whangarei this process will need to be stepped up.

Today we’re going to head north along the Whanganui River and look at some of the historical sites along there. No specific plans as to where we’ll end up this evening.

First of all – thanks to all who’ve sent their best wishes regarding the possibility of any effects of the terrible earthquake in Japan reaching us here in NZ. We’re ok and I understand that warnings for the region are now lifted. Having met a number of displaced families from the Christchurch Earthquake our hearts go out to all the people affected by this new one, 8,000 times stronger.

We left our accommodation around 8:30am and headed for the Te Papa museum to park our car. We knew it wouldn’t be open but we figured it might have reasonably priced parking for the day and it did. We left the car there and headed for the tram up to the botanic gardens.

Realizing the botanical gardens spread all the way down the hill we bought one way tickets to the top. We wanted to visit the observatory there but it too was not expected to be open until 10am so we walked the gardens for a while to make up the time.

We watched a good show in the planetarium and among other things learned how to use the southern cross and other stars to find polar south. As we’re in the southern hemisphere for the next few years this will remain handy.

After reviewing the rest of the astronomy museum which was very well put together we made our way down through the gardens. As autumn is now approaching the gardens were past their best but nice all the same.

After finding lunch we returned to the Te Papa museum and spent a couple of hours there. It was one of the most impressive museums we’ve seen with incredibly well put together sections covering geology, biology and the history of New Zealand.

Wanting to make some mileage north we left Wellington late afternoon taking a back route out for a change of scenery. It may not have been the best idea as it did take longer to get out of town and may have worsened the effect of traffic jams out of town that we ran into.

We spent some time calling around various motels, etc. and eventually found a room in a roadside motel in Otaki which had the bonus of free internet.

We settled down for the evening. After having dinner we watched a bit of TV which was soon taken over by the breaking news of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Although there were some early warnings raised for New Zealand we didn’t feel too threatened. Although we’re only 4km from the coast we have a bit of elevation and we’re not in any bay that may amplify any small waves that would reach this far. Nothing we can do about the boat so that is out of our hands.

I managed to upload recent photos so most are now on the blog.

Today we’ll head towards Whanganui and perhaps onto the area around Egmont National Park. At least that’s our plan.