December 5, 2023 Eastbourne (Day 69)
We took the bus to the end of one line today, around Wellington Harbour to the east side. We have our bus cards, so we’re using them! Eastbourne is a small town, a popular tourist location that’s served by the bus system, and a ferry from Wellington. We disembarked the bus at the small town center and found a bakery/cafe for our coffees!
These beautiful mosaics of New Zealand birds are embedded in the sidewalks around the town center! This is the fantail, a fearless small songbird we’ve seen frequently.
We walked around town and found our way to the ‘Marine Parade’, a wonderful waterfront walkway where dunes are being restored.
These Pohutuwaka trees lined the street leading to the beach and waterfront Marine Parade.
We continued further south until the road ended and the Remutaka Forest Park began, where we checked out the electric assist bikes that can be rented (we’ll be back to try them out we hope!).
Along the walkway there are views out to Cook Strait, and the harbour entrance.
We found the memorial to the Wahine Disaster, the passenger and car ferry that ran into the reefs opposite this area in April of 1968 in a terrible storm with the loss of 51 lives.
We had a picnic lunch along the parkway and caught a bus back to the town center.
We saw this handsome fella in town, getting ready for the holidays!
We walked north from the town center to Days Bay Wharf to catch the ‘East by West’ ferry back to Wellington. We saw this interesting house built right up to a cliff face. The brick towers appear to be solar tubes.
We couldn’t tell if it’s all new construction, or modified from some older structure.
Once on the ferry we could relax, and let Skipper Dan do the driving. It was beautiful and sunny out, so we weren’t worried!
Cash bar on board!
Welcome to Wellington Harbour!
Once back in Wellington it was easy to catch a bus back to the car on the outskirts of town, drive back to the B&B, relax and grill a wonderful fish dinner!