Day 26 – MOTAT.

Lizzie had told me the bus stop was just at the top of the road and I’d have to change at New Lynn to get into the city. I walked up to the stop and it made me laugh because I forget home flat Portsmouth is and how nowhere else is really like it. I got on the 173 which was driven by the lovely Ray (he introduced himself later) he asked where I was going and said you used to be able to buy 1 ticket but now you have to buy 2 and said it was going to be $3 something unless I was a child, I said I wasn’t but could pretend so he only charged me $1!

I decided instead of going straight into the city I would check out the Museum of Transport and Technology which is just outside and lucky for me the bus goes directly past it. I bought my pass and as it was waiting I hoped on the tram that takes you to the other part of the museum. It was exactly like the city trams I’d been catching in Melbourne but you could tell some of the kids were super excited about being on it. 

The first part was all about Aviation and I learnt a bit about Jean Batten who is famous aviator from the 1930’s. She took on a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world. They had an inflatable slide set up which is like the ones you’d use in a plane evacuation which was fun but also practical to be prepared.

I went back to the main grounds and first walked in to learn all about Trams. The first tram in Auckland was on Queens Street in 1902. I like how their display just said the 50^th anniversary was in 1952 instead of just telling you when they started! The last trams made its way down Queens street in 1956 as they were being taken out and replaced by electrified public transport. The tram above has been restored to its former beauty and is one of the originals; they even had double decker trams! I then looked around the rest of the museum at various things.

I walked over to the petrol station on the other side of the road to get some money out but the cash point wouldn’t accept my card. I walked to the phone box outside to call Lizzie to come and pick me up as she had offered earlier on in the day but the machine didn’t except change! Back into the station I go to purchase a phone card. Eventually I sorted it all and she found me!