The Train Ride. (May 27)

After the whole Melbourne deal and getting back to Auckland, I thought I'd take advantage of the situation and take the train from Auckland to Palmerston North...and then because there is a free bus that goes between Palmy and Wanganui for UCOL students, I figured I'd spend the night in Palmy and take that bus to class Monday morning.  Poifect.

So here are some photos, they aren't great.  It rained part of the way.  I napped most of the time since I hadn't slept on the airplane or at the airport.

I also sat next to this older German guy (turns out I accidentally stole the window seat from him but I don't think he noticed?  Shhhhhh.)  He was pretty cool.  He asked me if green was my favorite color. "Your sweatshirt is green, your glasses are green, your bag is green, outside it is green.  I think you are trying to hide."  He told me about what he wanted to do in NZ and that he was going to Sydney, Australia next.  We looked at some maps.  We had a weird conversation about tattoos.  He asked me what the Lord of the Rings was about because he never had seen it.  I tried to explain but I didn't know what to say,  "Uhhhh. so there are all of these rings, and one of them is more powerful than all of the other ones.  And whoever owns the ring becomes very evil.  So this hobbit has to go on a journey to Mount Doom to destroy the ring..."  He's like, "Ok, but what is the moral?"  "Uhhh....well there is a lot of character development...friendship?  The journey?  The good side always wins?"  Part of me was like, cool! someone is talking to me!  And the other part was like, sir?  you are very nice but I'd like to go back to sleep now.

Anyway, like I said, photos.

I think that guy was my German seat-mate.

Leaving Wellington

Smoke break in Hamilton

Cars are called carriages.

rain :(

The mountain!

The lounge area at the back of my carriage

Sun came back out.

A crew member stopping to say hi to a friend.

Finally in Palmy.

So now I'm in Palmy.  It took a bit to find the backpackers, the Railway Hotel (the name seemed fitting) but I finally found it.  And it was a really lovely place.  I got a single room with a heater and a flat screen tv and internet and a bathroom with two sinks!  AND unlimited instant coffee mix...wooooo.