Day 34. The long journey home, not an unexpected journey from Auckland to Gold Coast

Day 34 The journey home from Auckland

I did get some sleep and woke up well before my alarm went off at 250am. I had no problems getting downstairs and waiting for the shuttle bus to pick me up although I did see a lady wandering the street offering services of another sort. How do I know? I seen several vehicles stop to talk to her. At the same time my ride turned up offering the service I was after. Once at the airport I weighed my bag to see how heavy it actually was. It turned out to be at least 1kg over and I took one book out about the archives and the bag was alright, but now my pack might be heavy. At least my bag was now the right weight and I wouldn’t have to sort out my 10kg backpack.  I found another Hobbit character that was one of the dwarves floating around, which was cool.  I had breaky as I was wanting coffee and filled out my departure card.

Something I found out when I was going through the gate did not impress me at all. The epassport gate area was actually closed and I did hear from the lady in front of me that last time she went through several weeks before it had been the same way. Not impressed when you are stuck in a huge line, when your passport could get you through quicker with the chip. Maybe Auckland airport will lift their game or stop being scared that it will take jobs away from others. I did hang around the shops until I had to visit the departure lounge where I would catch the flight that would send me home. The flight was not that bad at all and I did misplace my ipod that ended up somehow falling down the back of my pants. I never knew it had fallen there as I had to put my bag in the racks above my head as it couldn’t fit by my feet for obvious reasons.

Once we had landed back in Australia, I found that my epassport wouldn’t scan for some reason that I do not know. It could be because it was never scanned on the NZ side, but the customs lady was very helpful about it and she was just as myserfied as I was. Still I made it back into the country and once the bag came, I was able to bypass everyone else and go right through to the arrivals as I was given the all clear. It was really warm wearing my big jacket as I had no room to put it anywhere. Once through I had to wait in line while the money converters did their job while some people seemed to think they were up for a debate. This was the official end of my trip to New Zealand as I as back on home soil. The trip hoe meant getting back into the reality of work and sorting out the contents of my bags. The weather was really warm and bright for my return when it had been overcast in Auckland.

 I did have an excellent trip and found more about New Zealand than what I had learnt before. I renewed my interest in LOTR and did leave with two of the Lord of the rings trilogy. The film industry was not the only thing I had gone for as I had tracked down some elusive areas of NZ history. The next couple of days will tell me how I am after my trip. Along the way I did find some locations I would like to visit in the future and I think that is the whole idea my going travelling to another place as you want to learn more and extract that little bits of information out of places. In some ways I am like a hobbit that takes aimless wanders to far off places. Was the trip worth doing, yes it was will I go again and that answer would be a hell yes.

Day 33, Touring Auckland bus style.

Day 33, Touring Auckland bus style.

This morning I had planned to jump onto the local city tour where you can jump on and off at your leisure. The only problem if you call it that is I had to walk to the other side of town where it starts at 9am down at the ferry terminal. Elsewhere in town it starts a little later, I wanted to go on one stop that really interested me and that was Mt Eden also known as Maungawhau. This is actually the highest natural point in Auckland other than the sky tower. On my way to the terminal I ate one of my muesli bars that I had bought. I really did not like it and could not eat the second one I had with me. They were actually the worse ones I have ever eaten and it didn’t make me feel great, but the pie I had did.

I realised what had happened once I arrived down at the ferry building. I could see a great big tour liner sitting at the dock, this meant I had to contend with cruise ship passengers again on a weekend. Luckily I had arrived with enough time to get my ticket before we had a full bus. The tour left a little early I think to compensate as we were the first bus with several others leaving a little later. I cant remember every bit of commentary, but learnt that Kelly Tarltons aquarium was actually a sewer, I did pass the Savage memorial dedicated to the ex prime minister. I never got off as I was wanting the museum. Other stops included the Parnel rose gardens and the church where the funeral service for Sir Edmund Hillary was held. Another little church beside it had been moved from across the street in the 1980s. People had realised they would have to wait until 10am for the aquarium to open, so got back onto the bus for the museum. The museum didn’t open until 10am either, but the coffee shop opened half hour earlier. I had to wait until 1030 for the satellite to head off to Mt Eden and it ran every hour until 330pm. I wandered around the museum and came across a small plaque that said there was a US military camp on the museum grounds in The Domain. I did watch the kids play cricket too and then had my coffee.

Once we were on the bus it filled up pretty quick too as others had the same idea of heading out maybe to shop at the Newmarket shops or the Westfield shopping centre. I did find a historic house museum on the way where the parents had 21 children. No idea if they survived. The other stop was Eden gardens that was a disused quarry mine and also where the museum hid their treasures in caves during the Second World War. I got off at Mt Eden and the driver said that coaches are no longer allowed up the top, but there was a free shuttle service. He warned not to walk on the path as it had been raining the night before. The path was pretty dry and I made it to the top with no problems. The view was spectacular and I had thought it would have rained if I did the museum first. It was a nice sunny day and you could see everything for miles away. The crater you are not allowed in as it is tapu or sacred ground and for safety reasons too. After enjoying the sights and then going down the hill to wait for the bus as I only stayed for an hour.

Once the bus arrived, we were off again towards the museum, but via the other stops. We passed the home of the All Blacks at Eden Park and I knew I wanted to stop here sometime when I come back. The Auckland Zoo that I learnt had a tramline that runs to MOTAT or museum of motor transport and technology. I will have to get there sometime just to ride the tram. I know I will be back and we passed under what they called the spaghetti overpass as we passed under the arterial roads. This was the freeway that had split Symonds street cemetery and some headstones were even sitting on the grass dividers that split the lanes although this was still hilly sections so no vehicle could drive on it. The Grafton bridge does have a screen to stop people jumping onto the freeway or landing in the cemetery too. Then we were back at our original destination of the Auckland museum and it was now lunch time.

After I had some food, I went into the museum and actually spent the rest of the day here. By the time I left it was around 5mins to 5pm as it shut at 5pm and I had only missed the WWII exhibit. I had hovered watching the bit about the New Zealand wars and the shorts about the wars New Zealand had been involved in. I did also sit in on the little thing they had about what happens when a volcano erupts in Auckland. The floors shook and scared one kid. I asked the bloke at the desk who was in charge of the cenotaph personnel records about a book that had been mentioned when a family member was in service in Africa. He handed me the book and explained that it was very hard to get the books as they go for at least $150. The British Imperial museum might get around to republishing them eventually, but I could download the electronic book online. I could read it too, but I want the book. By this time I had ran out of time and had to head back to the hostel, although I did plan to look in the DVD shop, but it had shut. I did get into the bookstore and grabbed the book I had been eying off about the treasures in the national archives. I was thinking I could visit the church that Hillary had his funeral in, but it would have been late and I was wanting rest before an early start.

Tip

Good walking boots are a must and a general sense of direction especially when you are aimlessly wandering around a country

Day 32. Lost and found trains in Auckland, New Zealand

Day 32, Lost on a train, found a train in Auckland

Today seemed sunny and I did get to sleep in as well, well until around 730am but it was a decent sleep. I decided I had to post several things before I left for the family history centre. I did get a cooked breaky at Maccas and ended up spilling my coffee into the scrambled egg and snags. I still ate the food as I was hungry and thought it would be better in than out. I didn’t mind, but this was the start of a very different adventure for today. I posted my book and had a lady at the post office who must be a  local of the Hokianga area as she had seen my book. I let her write down the title. One of the reasons I was posting more stuff was that the photo albums take up room and can be heavy.

I caught the train and jumped on the one going through newmarket as it was going inthe direction I was going in. Turns out it bypasses the whole area through a loop. Before I figured out I had gone too far, I had gone around 7 stations away from where I was supposed to be. Takanini looked a little low budget, very low budget and i only had a 2 min wait to get the right train. I got a train ride and seen a steam museum thing on the way. I am not touching trains on Saturday for a reason as they wont be running and you could imagine if I had caught a bus. No trains are running this weekend at all for maintenance for some reason. Luckily my plan is to do the family history centre and cemetery. I never cried when I found I was lost, I jumped off the train and shrugged. If I had been heaps younger then I would have problems with getting myself lost.

Once I was on the right track to the train station in Panmure, I found the whole place had changed since I was there and I did find my way to the family history centre without any problems. I partially remembered where to go, but they had changed the area around the train station. I don’t think it would have helped I remembered the hill behind me as anywhere you go the tree would be behind you. Once I was inside I was able to get some research done. What makes it easier was the fact I could use a CD with marriages right until 1956. I was correcting the dates I had been given and confirming many that I had, which I did not have certificates for. During this time I made some purchases of CDs that can help with my research including the burial locator. Another was a CD for the family history group that I can only use. I found it easier putting the information straight into my computer while I had the program up.

I had stayed there for several hours doing my data entry and then took off with my new CDs that will be useful for my family history stuff. By the time I got outside it was actually blowing really hard. I was lucky to get the train as I had just walked down the ramp. Another short trip later I had to get another ticket from Britomart and then be on my way to Glen Eden for the cemetery tour I was going to go on. I was taking myself on the tour and could someday go on a tour to find some people and have a longer time at it since last time I was there it had been getting dark. Hopefully this time around I wont be there for too long.

I remembered an easier entrance to the cemetery just off the train line on a street called Waikamete that would have been obvious as an entrance to the cemetery. I did notice a sign talking about there being an open day tomorrow letting people know about the cemetery reaching capacity in 2018. I wont go as the trains are not running and I have other things to visit. I did see the sextants office, who did everything including dig graves. I actually stopped at one headstone that were for Potters and I had to turn my computer on to see if they were actually the people I was after. They were actually and I was impressed. Next I went looking for Alice Gabolinscy’s grave, although last time I thought it had been destroyed by time as i couldn’t find it. Before going looking at the Wesleyan section I found the mass grave that was done for the 1918 influenza and the monument dedicated to them. I did find what was left of Alice’s grave and the only part that doesn’t exist is the cross on top. I can see why you could walk past as it had faded and had another little marker about her sister. I had to enter more data as it gave the full name of the husband of Alice’s husband. Another grave I was looking for was one of the people who supplied goods to the Gum diggers who were after the Kaori gum that were in the swamps, which were like gold. Another part I found was another Gabolinscy who was buried in the soldiers area, but couldn’t find last time either.

 I was very happy with my finds and knew it was tie that I had to go even though I could have stayed until dark. The body needs substance and I will do something for that. Tomorrow is my last day before I fly out on the Sunday. I plan on going to the museum and a bus tour with hope. When I got to the train station, I actually found the train was coming so had to rush putting money into the machine so I could get my ticket. Once on the train I was happy to have a bag off my back and relaxing on a trip back to the city. I think I have learned plenty on my trip so far and found many things that will help with my knowledge in New Zealand. I might go for a wander later on, although I did get back to the hostel around 830pm having dinner along the way which did make me feel better. I hope to do a bus day tour thing and we will see what happens in the morning to see what sort of day it will be.

Tip

Make sure you know what the train map is like so you dont jump on the train that avoids the section you want to visit. What I should have done was get on the one that said it was going to Glen Innes not Newmarket.

Day 31 Off to the archives I go in Auckland.

Day 31 Off to the archives I go in Auckland.

The morning looked a little cloudy when I was wanting to leave for the archives. I had also gotten up early so that I could catch the bus up at Symonds road near K road. I had a longer name, but hard to say or spell. Locals call it K road for short for a reason. The bus I wanted to catch came around 730am in the morning and I only had a 5 min walk to get there. You have to be careful with the bus stops as there are several shelters for certain bus zones that stop in places. They can be several metres apart and is strangely weird. I wandered off to find another part of the local cemetery that is historic to the area. The one I found on the first day i was in NZ. This one was either jewish or middle eastern as the writing was Hebrew. Some nuts had spray painted some symbols on some, although I doubt they would understand what they had done. The people would have been better people in life.

 I was taking the bus to Mangare shopping centre so that I could walk to the archives. Last time I walked I had actually gotten lost as I ended up walking in the wrong direction and then on the wrong side of the road when trying to cross the main highway out to the airport. This time I had actually walked right past where I was supposed to turn off and wondered about the strawberry farm that I was now next to. I had my zenbook with me and checked the bus timetable map, which told me I had gone too far. An ipad might have been better, but then I would have too many gadgets coming out of my ears. Once on the right track I arrived at the archives in no time although I started at 1 and ended up at number 90 down the other end of the street.

The records were waiting for me when I arrived and I did get order copies of what I was wanting. I found one will to be contested due o some property having already been sold, A divorce paper that said once the couple were living separate that the husband had a child with another lady, the transfer of a company into the farmers name even though he was the sole owner, the lease of property between 1910 until around 1962 showing change of ownership and reports about payment of money being owed this went on for around 300 pages. One of the forestry books I found was particularly graphic as it involved two family members being murdered for the payroll and this book was actually better than a police report in the way that it had a sketch of the bedroom to the street showing where everything was placed, I thought this record would have been restricted like the court records. I did end up finding another family member who owned a hotel and needed licences for around 1882 in Auckland and even mention of the hotel that burnt down. I could have kept going on researching this ancestor, but had to go as I was hungry and wanted to visit the museum. During this time I had one bloke coming over and asking what I was doing as he was going through the records trying to prove that he was involved with a company and the other person was not. I wanted him to go away as he kept talking to me when I was counting pages to be copied. He thought every record I was looking at was to do with my great grandfather, although it would have had been more greats in that list. I don’t think he would have understood what I was after. He was annoying the archive staff as he wanted the records copied there and then as he had to do the lawyers work. When I took a folder up wanting to know what I was supposed to do with searching for hotel records, two men in suits had walked in and were official like. I asked the lady who they were and she relied either cops or lawyers. I responded that I should be nice to them. They acted as though they owned the place.

I asked the archive lady about where to catch the bus to Mangare and she told me after googling that I have to walk back up the road to number 40. I thanked her and walked off with my brolly out as it was now raining. The bus didn’t take too long to come and I had found a spot closer for the bus. I ended up at the shopping centre and had to eat before I caught the bus. Once I had returned I got confused over the bus time tables. I couldn’t figure out what direction I had to go in. I did get on a bus that was going downtown and asked to get off at the Auckland city hospital. This was where I could walk to the museum and I was hoping a Thursday night would be a late night opening like Te Papa. No such luck after walking in the rain, another day I have to look around.  There was only 15 mins left until closing and then I walked back to the hostel to drop my bag off.

I went wandering into the southern part of Queen street as I was wanting a flash disk. I ended up with a small external drive that I will transfer my stuff I have gotten here like pics and send them over for safe keeping. I knew I needed clean clothes as I did have the thought I could wear the same ones twice, but I had been really sweaty for several days including trying to walk up the huge hill. Supposedly it is going to get cold tomorrow as there is a cold front moving in, but that wont stop me from going where I want to go. I know where I will be tomorrow. To the family history centre and the cemetery. I think half a day in the museum followed by a bus city tour as I want to visit one tree hill. I did learn that Mangare is supposed to be the bad part of town as the next area along is really dodgy. Identity crisis or not I have no idea as I just look the part.

Day 30. From Whangarei to Auckland

Day 30 Tripping from Whangarei to Auckland

I did get to sleep in for at least a little bit before I had to get up. I had gone to bed after midnight as I had been given a mystery box to have a look through. It had been hanging around for several days and I had only seen several pics in there. When I did rummage through I found many pictures and several documents that were of interest. There was too much for me to take in one hit home and I was interested in the books written by my great grandfather who was a farmer. They were about the stock they had on the farm, but still interesting. In the morning I had gone through many of the photos with granny and Claude to workout what was what or who were many of the people in the pictures especially when some said me underneath. At least it was easy to work out once granny and claude had their eyes on them.

I did get to go out to the one place I had not visited yet on my trip. Whangarei falls, which is the local water fall that is close to where Granny and Claude are within walking distance. I took a walk all the way down to the bottom, while claude looked from the top. By the time I returned by another route, he had already walked home. I knew he was going to do that and I walked back another way hoping I would remember my way back. I did remember and had nearly walked all the way past before realising I was at my destination. They did have a hot lunch when we finally ate after I was going through pictures and placing some into my bags. I did tell them that anymore mystery boxes appear, then I would like to lay a claim to them as anything is of interest especially files from the 1920s or 30s. I think my bag is now heavier and did feel it, although the stuff I have is bulky too like the photo albums.

I caught the bus on time and it was a nice trip back to Auckland with me worrying at several times if it was going to be wet when I reached the city. I never read a book the entire time and was listening to my ipod the entire time as I was listening to my podcasts I had. Several had NZ history including one about public servants that I still have no idea what it was about. Once the bus stopped in Auckland I knew I had to walk up Queen street to the YHA. I soon learnt that my bags were heavy and my normal bag was light though. The part that wore me out was having to walk up a very steep slope to the hostel and I was puffing and had a stitch. I was not the only one who got caught by this as the hostel people were telling me. They seemed to have over booked and I was upgraded to a two bed room that I have to stay with another guy, but thats all cool. Only one snorer and not a whole chorus with backup singers when you are in a hostel. I did go out and have a look around hoping to get hold of a timetable for the morning, but I couldn’t get that as the info centre at Britomart was shut being 7pm. I had all the stuff on my computer though. Through my wandering I did find the Auckland Council archives that I had not been looking for, but will visit to see what they do actually have.  In the morning I am going to visit the national archives in Auckland.

Tip

No internet or Wifi at the hostel, try Macdonalds for free wifi. Europe and UK seem to be superfast. Usually if the hostel doesn’t have internet or wifi you wouldn’t visit would you?