Buses & Such

Before moving to New Zealand I did quite a bit of research on the Country and each of it's larger cities.  Taking into consideration location, population, culture of the city, and my personal interests, the country's capital Wellington won hands down as home base.  Giving it just a little bit more of an edge was their public transportation system...I would be living without a car for an entire year!!  Here are a few facts from wellingtonnz.com:

 

• More people use public transport in Wellington than anywhere else in New Zealand
  
• About 26,000 people commute into the City every working day
• 28% use public transport compared with:
  * 18% in Auckland 
  * 9% in Christchurch 
  * 10% in Australian and North American cities on average.
• 11% of Wellingtonians walk to work

All a part of the adventure...I was excited to have to find my way around the city using the buses and my own two feet.

An adventure it has been!!  Figuring out which stop to get off at (thankfully the drivers will tell you if you ask!), which buses to transfer if needed, timetables, maps, and ticketing.  The system here runs like a well oiled machine, it's quite amazing.  I've only made one fumble so far in grabbing the right bus number but in the wrong direction.  I waited at the stop across the street from the one I needed, rode the bus ALL the way through the route, ALL the way back, THEN to where I needed to go in the first place!  I missed my transfer by a long shot, wasted an hour, and forked over $30 for a taxi.  I gave the bus driver a good chuckle & took away from it a lesson in direction!  Taking the bus has forced me to slow down, give myself plenty of time, and is  what I like to call 'conveniently inconvenient'.  Sure, if I had a car I would get to where I need to be quicker...but I'm not here to be anywhere quick.  Quite the opposite actually, I'm here to slow down, think, enjoy, discover. 

Once you get off the bus there's usually some sort of walking involved in getting you to your final destination.  Some bus stops are right outside where you need to be and these are always fun.  There's something special and celebratory about being able to hop off the bus and be where you need to be!!  Something we take for granted having our cars to zip around everywhere & DRIVE-THRU to get what we need!  Wellington is the City of Harbours...ohhhh, but it's also the city of WIND and HILLS.  Since more often than not the bus stops a good 5-10 minute walk from your destination, your pretty much guaranteed a good workout everyday for free.  No gym membership required.  This is what a day looks like walking through/to/from Wellington:  up stairs, up a hilly street, shortcut down a hillside through bush, downhill along a curvy road, flat...for just a second though, zig zag up a steep pedestrian road access, up stairs, up a hill, down a hill...BAM you're there!  Then when you're done...walk back.  If I don't return home with a nicer bum than when I left something went terribly wrong!!

You'd think that not having a car would give me less freedom, but it's really given me more.  I've been round and round the city which has made it quite easy to remember landmarks and find my way around.  I don't have to worry about traffic, gas, car insurance, locking my keys in the car, or getting the oil changed.  My heart appreciates all of the walking.  I can listen to music & podcasts while on the bus.  I'm learning to appreciate the importance of time & that it is not something to be wasted.

Next time you're in a city that uses public transport try it out!  Or, consider parking in the area you'll be spending your day and walk around to all of the places you need to go instead of driving to each parking lot.  Just a thought... :)