Day 14. Whirlwind tour from Tauranga to Hamilton

Day 14. Whirlwind tour from Tauranga to Hamilton

Today I had to get up early to catch the bus at 730am to Hamilton. The morning was pretty cool and I was wearing a jumper.  The only problem that was not a problem was I would be leaving without being fed. I was a little worried as every food type shop was closed still, but I wasn’t hungry. Not yet anyway. There was one bus already sitting at the bus stop and the sign on the front did say Wellington and I was wondering if this was the bus that went to Hamilton as logically it was going in that direction. I asked and the driver did say no it was the 710 to Wellington. I decided to sit and wait for the bus with book in hand to wait for the bus. Soon enough a big white bus did turn up and it was y intercity bus with final destination of Hamilton. I looked at the time once I had boarded and it was actually 730am. I was happy to be on the bus for the next couple of hours.  Nothing spectacular occurred other than some fog before we entered Matamata. The fog was thick in places and you could hardly see the truck in front let alone what was hiding in the paddocks just beyond the fence line. It disappeared once we left the mountain range. I did think Matamata was a blink and you would miss it town until we went through and I did see a heritage trail sign and the information centre was a hobbit hole. That was exciting as I do want to visit the town and this proved to me that visit it I will and have second breakfast there too.

We did arrive into Hamilton around 10 or 15 mins late, but I was happy to be able to stop and use the loo. I needed to fix that urge before finding food. The bus stop had a food area and that was where I got my breakfast, of course a meat pie and a coffee. I am going to have someone at this rate count how many pies I have eaten during my trip and give me a stern talking to about the consumption of meat pies for breakfast. I could have cake instead or marshmallow cake things. After I was feeling energised I went and found the hostel by memory. I even remembered that one side of the traffic lights didn’t have a crossing too. The hostel was what I remember it. A converted drive through motel and I was waiting for my room to be finished once I managed to raise the lady t reception who was elsewhere. I had called three times before she found the phone and then she couldn’t find my booking until I produced my print out. Luckily I said 2 nights or else I would have ended up with one night. None of that bothered me and I was watching Ellen in the TV room that looked exactly like a cinema complete with the bus type seats. They were comfy too and I was happy.

Once I was sorted out I checked online to see what was happening and then floated off into Victoria street looking for two things. The information centre and Riff Raff from Rocky Horror show. I looked down every street and was hoping I would find what I was looking for quickly. I did end up in Garden Place where the Info centre was supposed to be, but all I could see was the Library and I turned off and hurtled down the street and found good old Riff Raff. He was doing the time warp near the Waikato museum and the best part was I could get free wifi from this part of the city. I was telling friends online they could see me online with the statue and one did get me mucking around doing Gandum Style dance, while drivers in cars going past were laughing and pointing at me. Of course I am cool and several other people online would have wondered what on earth was he doing on camera and I was captured and posted online. I did stick around for at least half an hour too.

The museum was my next entrance though by now it was after 1pm and I knew I needed a coffee and a meal, second breakfast? I spoke to the museum staff member about parts of the old Paddle Steamer Rangiriri and something to eat. I was told the boat was across the river and they did have some parts like the rudder, but they were in storage. As to the cafe I was given a voucher for spend over $10 and get a free coffee / hot drink. I got my coffee and food with free wifi there too. Then I headed back to the museum and wandered around looking at the waka that had been donated by a Maori Princess who was quite popular and was seen as lady of the soil. There was a little about her and the band that followed with her CFM? I cant quite remember the name of hand, but she was wanting to raise funds for a Marae that was to be originally used as a hospital since she had seen the hardships of the 1919 flu epidemic. The other galleries were about the early history of Hamilton and how militia was promised land if they would serve and once the service finished they found the land hard to tend especially after the army rations ceased. The first white woman to set foot onto Hamilton wasn’t the captain’s wife at all, but an Irish lady who handed her baby to a stranger and jumped overboard. Once on land she was laughing hysterically. Hamilton was named after a soldier who had died in Tauranga in the fighting there and had never visited the area. There was a story about a bridge called Union Bridge, which was replaced by Victoria Bridge that united the East and West Hamilton. I did buy a CD from the museum called The Big Muffin Serious Band, Jabberwocky goes to town. They seem to be local and will play when I get home. Monty Pythonish they have a Nice side and a Nasty side to the CD.

While at the museum I found Garden Place did indeed have the information centre, so I headed back. Of I was back past Riff Raff and a bookstore jumped out at me, it was a second hand one and I checked what time it closed before finding the info centre. It was an info centre that had been found and I was happy, but I hadn’t been looking right up the very end of the square as I had been looking in the wrong place. I was able to get the Hamilton heritage brochure that I was after and another map of town. I did see a statue I wanted to meet, but all it said was Hamilton statue in the Civic Square CBD. The wifi never told me either until I looked up and seen the statue, also I found the council buildings as well. The bookstore I found earlier I headed back to. I wanted to look at the New Zealand history books to see what I could find. After looking I selected two, Death of the Rainbow Warrior by Michael King and The Story of Northland by A.H. Reed the 1975 edition. I wanted a book on Wanganui history, but I was happy with these two as they both will help me, or I hope I will be informed.

Armed with maps I wanted to head over the river to the PS Rangiriri and have a look. I headed down to the river path and picked up speed when I seen three people arguing in an isolated spot. I didn’t want to be part of that especially when they could be threatening to me as I could be the sucker they were waiting for. I did find the Potter kids park and a bridge that was donated to the park in the early 1900s and then found the memorial park with displayed from a spitfire, anchor from HMS Waikato and an artillery gun used during the second world war. I found the paddle steamer below these on the banks of the Waikato River that flows through Hamilton. It was specially built and did have a secret weapon. If boarded it could let off steam that would scald anyone, but this defence was never use. Also the boat was abandoned in the river for 90 years and used as a diving platform for kids. I did walk under the Victoria Bridge wondering what the new memorial park was about and all by itself was another war memorial when the other cenotaph was more visible. I decided to cross the bridge and had to pass under it again when I found the footpath was only on one side. By this time it was closing in to 6pm and I felt a couple of spits from the rain. One of the last monuments I found was a dedication to the commercial people from the early times and the ferry landing place before the bridge had been built.

I will have to plan my day for tomorrow as I don’t know what to do yet other than follow the heritage trail. It was pretty good having nearly two full days in Hamilton as last time I was here I only had an afternoon that I didn’t know how to use. Several years older and I have found plenty in the city to do and find. My boots were made for walking and I try to push myself as I don’t know what I will find. I don’t want to visit the Zoo and know there is a cemetery somewhere.