Really wasn’t kidding about the weather!
Blimey – after yesterdays experience with a pillock driver trying to shove us into the hill, the weather just got worse and worse. Howling gales continued to batter Wellington City, and it was a relief that we were going to be staying over in town and not having to drive home.
Especially because by the time evening came, Wellington city was effectively cut off due to the weather and landslides.
Landslides, like wind and earthquakes are just really a fact of life here. Roads get closed, and occasionally a house falls down a hill. Bearing in mind that an awful lot of houses are perched precariously on the sides of hills – this is something to bear in mind when buying property here.
Last night – it was the roads and rail network that were in trouble. Worryingly the Wairarapa train even got derailed! Coming through the Maymorn tunnel (so before it goes under the Rimutakas) the train came out of the tunnel, and slammed into a bank of mud. The engine and the first carriage came off the rails, and the 6 carriages behind got stuck in the tunnel.
It took 2 hours for an engine to come and rescue the back carriages and take the passengers to Upper Hutt where they were put on busses to get them over the hill into the Wairarapa. Over the hill. With gales blowing and a rain storm. In a bus. Joy!
As it happened, the hill road was closed at 8pm anyway, so all in all, this is one day we got very lucky with our decision to stay in town. The trains are not running till after the weekend. Bizarrely enough – train rides from Wellington were supposed to be free this afternoon to make up for freezing carriages.
It seems the road north up the west coast was also blocked by a landslide, so the only way to get north last night was to take the Akatarawa road which runs from near upper Hutt to Waikanae. I’ve yet to meet anyone who thinks that’s a fun drive even on a nice sunny day.
Even so, it’s worth living here. Most people in the Waiararpa seem to have stayed at home today, but then, given how quiet some of the cafes were today – I think people stayed at home whether they lived in the city or not.
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Comments
3 Comments on Really wasn’t kidding about the weather!
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Hubby on
Fri, 24th Jul 2009 9:58 pm
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Domestic Executive on
Sat, 25th Jul 2009 9:01 am
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Avalon on
Sat, 25th Jul 2009 5:12 pm
Perhaps I’m just slightly too cynical to see the derailment as such an odd coincidence.
Two weeks ago some ahead of schedule work lead to electrical failure at Wellington central station – no trains in or out anywhere.
Now on the other free Friday, and we lose the Wairarapa trains for at least three whole days.
I’ll be impressed with the engine recovery when it happens – no roads and lots of hills & river immediately around the accident site, which is a narrow trend with high embankments on each side.
Glad you were stranded but planned to. Last time I was stranded was when the London underground bombings happened – I was due to stay overnight in London anyway but then ended up giving my hotel room away to colleagues who were really stranded having come down from London. I walked across London to catch a train from the only station open luckily it had trains heading homeward albeit about 8 hours later than I normally would.
That really does put things in perspective!
It makes me wonder what on earth will happen when we get this big earthquake – if this is the kind of mess we get in when it it rains hard.
I read today that the people from Masterton didnt get home till Midnight. A lot of the problem was because there are no roads to where the train got stuck. At one point people were being told they might have to walk back to upper hutt. The thought of walking across London to get transport would fill me with a sense of dread to be honest – but tramping across the NZ contryside – shudders. (Note to self: always wear Doc Martins when going to Welly on the rain – never wear heels!)
Glad you were OK in London 
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