Kapiti Tram Museum

It's been a while since I've blogged, mostly because I got sick. What I thought was just a day or two of feeling bleh turned into a full blown virus of nastiness (I mean seriously, who gets a nasty virus in SUMMER!). I was sick at home, not doing anything apart from maybe watching the occasional movie for FIVE DAYS! I never, ever get sick for that long, I even took THREE whole days off work - I NEVER take that long off work and to be honest with you all - I'm still not 100% - I am ALMOST there, but I still feel exhausted at the end of the day. Being sick is pretty much the worst.

However, I did manage to escape my house for a while last weekend - Rich, Nankz and I went to the Kapiti Tram Museum. I know, its super geeky and I don't care.

I have wanted to go to this museum for pretty much as long as I've lived in Wellington - I've always loved Trams and I wish they were still part of our city. When we first arrive a Tram was due to leave so we jumped right on board for a ride.

The tram runs every half an hour, so we decided to get off at the "final" (or only) stop and check out the beach at Kapiti - you'd be silly not to really, its so beautiful!

After a bit of a walk, the tram was back and it was time to head back and check out the museum. I just have to say this though - the volunteers that drive the trams are amazing. I learnt so much about trams from them! The tram we rode was built in 1923 right here in Wellington - how cool is that? They are currently working on a much older tram which was originally constructed in 1904, they will run both the trams but the 1904 tram will be for special occasions. I also have to say the inside of the trams was so beautiful - look at all that wood.

When we arrived back at the "station" it was time to check out the museum - which is pretty small, but really well laid out and with really good information about the history of trams in Wellington (the trams went into retirement in the 1960s).

They had a tram on display that was used in Peter Jackson's King Kong (it was actually a tram from Brisbane that was altered to look like a New York Street Car) as well as an old cable car that had been put into retirement.

You were able to watch old footage of trams inside one of the trams (makes sense right) and they also had a video playing on loop which outlined the history of trams in Wellington.

They also had some old advertising at the museum - this was my favourite. If this was a print I'd frame it for the apartment.

So if you've got $10 burning a hole in your pocket and you're looking for something to do in Kapiti, you should totally check out the museum. I had a fun day out, unfortunately on Sunday I was totally exhausted (I guess my body still hasn't sorted out this virus) but it was totally worth it!

Here's hoping this will be the week I make a full recovery!

The Happiest Country in the World: Part IV: Atmosphere Tours

On our last full day in Vanuatu Rich and I decided we wanted to do a full island tour around Efate, however, there was a wee bit of a problem in that we had been in Vanuatu almost a week and we seemed have been to at least one of the attractions on nearly all of the round Island tours. Finally we found a company called "Atmosphere Tours" that had a tour that was a bit more unique, so we decided to book with them.

Our first stop was a traditional Vanuatu Village - which is apparently less common on Efate than the other islands. This man took us around the village and taught us some of the tribes culture and tradition.

 This lady (and the little girl that you can't really see) were preparing bananas to be preserved.

 The tribe did some of their traditional dances for the visitors to the village.

The visit to the village was finished off with the display of fire walking/dancing over some hot rocks. These pictures don't really show how impressive it really was.

Next up, we stopped off to "Eton Beach" that was more a fresh water swimming hole than a beach, for a swim. We also had a delicious morning tea of fresh fruit whilst at Eton Beach.

We drove around and saw some more sites around Efate - but our next stop was for lunch at a very cute restaurant near a beach where we saw another Vanuatu string band.

The lunch was amazing - I wish I had taken more photo's of it, because it was such a good meal. It was like something delicious you'd eat that someone's grandma had made for you! Next it was back into the van for more island adventures, including the old US army base from World War II. It is mostly grown over now though. We also drove past the largest coconut plantation on Efate - where they graze cows under the coconut trees so they can sell both coconut and meat.

Our next stop was my favourite on the tour - I love museums, especially low-fi museums run by a local with a passion. This one was a "coca-cola" museum run by a chap in his 70's. He has been collecting coca-cola bottles from the ocean for YEARS. The American troops left a lot of things behind when the left Vanuatu - including coca-cola bottles, this chap had been collecting them for years and he new all about the different factories in the States each bottle had been produced. He was incredible!

 These final photo's were taken at our final stop on the tour - I don't watch much TV, but the guide told us this was the spot where "Survivor Vanuatu" was filmed. To me it was just a stunning beach - where Rich made a new friend!

Well - that's our holiday to Vanuatu holiday - it was an amazing time. I really hope we can go back and visit sometime soon and see more of the country. It's a beautiful and fantastic place!