A Touch of History in the Heart

After Nelson we made our way to Picton, the port city of the south island and the location for picking up ferries for transport to the north island. The four hour ferry ride got a tad "lumpy" in a few spots, but we arrived in Wellington Harbour before too long to find a picturesque setting. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and is quite the hip and trendy place these days. Aside from having a progessive vibe to its everyday pace, Wellington held a special place in both John and Judy's hearts.

The capital city of NZ was actually a pivotal location during World War II and a base for many US Marines stationed in the south pacific during those grueling years. Unaware of this signifigance, we set off into the city in search of any memorabilia relating to the time the US troops were here protecting New Zealand. As we've mentioned before, New Zealand is a small country and was colonized by the British. During the heat of the war, all of the fit Kiwi men were sent to the UK and Europe to help protect Mother England and leave their own country unattended. England needed the extra help and historians here today realize that New Zealand became expendable in the eyes of the Brits. Ironically, though, during this time New Zealand was actually the bread basket for all the allied forces and critically important in supplying the troops with food supply. Well aware of this, Germany and Japan targeted a New Zealand invasion to supplement their own feed supplies. Depleted militarily, New Zealand was hung out to dry and was in no way shape or form able to hold off an invasion. Aware of this all by its deep involvement in the south pacific nearby, the US sent troops to New Zealand for two reasons: one, to fend off a potential German/Japanese invasion and keep the food crops flowing; and two, allow American troops to regain strength (lick their wounds, if you will) before sending countless missions north to the bloody islands of the south pacific. The mission was successful, New Zealand remained untouched and the US troops were able to recover in a peaceful land before being sent back off to horrific island battles.

John's father was stationed in Wellington three seperate times (after enduring brutal missions in Tarawa, Guadalcanal and Okinawa) and still struggles to find adequate words as to what Wellington meant to him during those tough times. He always vowed to return to Wellington someday to pay respects to the place that meant so much to him, but a successful family business many decades later (Baisch & Skinner Wholesale Florists in St. Louis) and that sweet reunion passed him by. John took the mission up instead and allowed his dad to live vicariously through his travels and now John, no doubt, will bring back some precious artifacts and stories to his war hero. Wellington and the people of New Zealand were so grateful for the part the US forces played in keeping them occupied during that time. Judy's father, surviving the Battle of Iwo Jima and other pacific islands, was also stationed in this region. Putting it all in perspective for them and reflecting on what this city meant to both of their fathers was an emotional moment for us all. We all sat back and realized the stirring account of both their fathers heroics during that time and of a whole generation that endured so many hardships. Out of the original 200 men in John's father's unit, only 7 survived the battles of the south pacific. Several locals helped us put the pieces together while in Wellington. One man in specific, a director of a historic museum, went above and beyond and touched us all. When telling him of his dad's involvement in the War, the director pulled out a book that detailed the "US involvement in New Zealand" (and actually had an old picture of the Marines arriving in Wellington Harbour) and gave it to John for free. Shocked by his geniune goodwill and appreciation for his country's history, John said, "you've gone over and beyond."

His response, "No, you tell your dad he is the one that went over and beyond back in those days."

Full of emotion and appreciation for what we all have today, we spent the remainder of our time in Wellington enjoying the city's energy and its history and how it relates to us personally. The man from the museum told us about a plaque on Wellington's Harbour that commemerates they arrival of US Marines in 1942. We set off for the plaque for one family picture before heading to the ferry. We looked and looked for it until we finally found it --- hiding behind the snow-cone machine that was resting there for the upcoming weekend festival!!! Can you believe that? The trailer was resting there and could not be moved...so we thought. Just for kicks and giggles, John set off to find someone, anyone who could give us authority to move the trailer for one pic. He finally found a guy and upon hearing our story, he gathered up a few of his workers and moved the trailer for us. The picture above with John and Judy standing by the plaque is the result of yet another New Zealand good gesture. So we got our picture and have a good story to boot!

After a short and memorable spin of Wellington, we took the ferry back over to the south island and prepared for our second tramp on the Queen Charlotte Track. This track runs through the Marlbourough Sounds (yes, the same region famous for its wine) and is a popular track for mountain bikers and trampers. Its other main draw is the boat taxi service provided to any action seeker. Instead of hawling your big packs on your back like we did on the Routeburn, a boat service out of Picton dropped us off at our starting point and then took our bags to the ending point! And if that wasn't enough, instead of a "hut" like on the Routeburn, we were greeted at the end of our tramp by a full-on luxury resort that had a spa and great restaurant. No ramen noodles this time, baby, give me a rack of lamb after my dip in the hot tub!!! Our bags were waiting in our rooms after the spectacular 20km hike and our shoulders were grateful for the break. We enjoyed a stellar sunset at dinner and slept like babies at night. We woke up the next morning and boarded our boat "taxi" back to Picton. The views of Marlbourough Sounds were amazing throughout the whole experience and the services supplied along the way made for quite a treat...somewhat of a highlight so far.