Overland Train Adventure

Today's adventure began with getting ourselves and all of our many bags from the hotel to the train station.  With Molly in the baby sling, the stroller full of bags, and Emma carrying her own backpack - we set-off.  As we checked in with the first load of bags, JP ran back to retrieve the rest and meet us on the train.  Once again, despite enormous amounts of baggage, we somehow avoided excess baggage fees and settled in for the 12 hour journey from Auckland to Wellington.

The scenic train leaves at 7:25 am and we enjoyed great views of farmland (there's a lot of sheep and cattle between Auckland to Wellington).  We also went through 14 tunnels (or so the brochure says - we lost track), over many viaducts and past mountains and volcanoes.  We enjoyed walking through the train to the observation deck and car, treats from the dining car, and a lunch stop at the national park.  The views were excellant and it was a nice way to see the countryside.  It was a rather long trip though and by the end the girls were ready to settle in to our new home in Lyall Bay, Wellington.

Emma said the best part of the train trip was seeing the sheep, and the baby sheep!

We arrived in the station at Wellington about 7:30 and took a van to our home in Lyall Bay. 
It was Thursday and if we were in the states, Thanksgiving.  We took a walk to the beach (two blocks away) and because we were out of cash and the one local eaterey that was open took only cash, we found it funny that instead of feasting on turkey we dined on ramen noodles that evening for dinner!

We're glad to be "home" and look forward to exploring our new stomping grounds!