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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Weekend Blog roundup 19th July
One of the joys of living in New Zealand is the wine. This New Zealand Life comments on how much cheaper it is to buy the stuff here. Along with their Flat White Index – I think they now have the necessities covered.
They have also posted a rather funny tale of trying to use the train service to get to the Wairarapa and back. While it does raise some serious issues about how the public transport system here can be just as lousy as anything British Rail can throw at you – I couldn’t help but laugh. And it reminds me that I should blog about the disaster that is the Overland journey from Wellington to Auckland. Not New Zealand’s finest showcase.
The Dawes Family are talking about the arrival of Grandma with the requisite suitcase of goodies from the UK. It is just a fact of life for many of us that we do like our little treats from back home now and then (often at a much cheaper price). They then went to Stonestead for a cream tea. I’ve passed the sign on the way home (Its just on the Wellington side of the hill), but I’ve never gone there. The photo of the scone has persuaded me to take a detour one day.
Domestic executive is planting an orchard – which looks like a lot of hard work to me – unless you are the Basset hounds sitting in the sun. I think they have the right idea! As my dad has already started planning our veggie garden and orchard there could at some point be a little of bit of outdoor work for me to do.
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