The following was submitted by a resident in the Raumati area by sending his writing to the funny looking email address found below and you are encouraged to do the same so it can be posted here too...

Q: What has to go back to go forward on the Kapiti Coast?

A: A Raumati resident getting a train to Wellington.

Hello, train supporters! Er, train-station-at-Raumati supporters. We are the only area without a station, the only community unable to get on a train easily on the Great Western Rail Line (15 stations) serving the Kapiti Coast or “Nature Coast”, running out of the capital of New Zealand. That’s Wellington, Absolutely Positively "Middle Earth" and “Wild at Heart” just 47 kms south of Raumati. Windy Wellington, a beautiful exciting city, the seat of government, a city that makes big films and has a wonderful museum and a splendid harbour and rolling hills ……right on our doorstep but we have to jump through hoops to get there by train.

It’s almost as if our capital city doesn’t want us Raumati people (7,300 pop.)) to visit. It would be really grand to be able to take a train more easily to our capital city instead of having to take the car 4 - 5 kms in the wrong direction to get to a station to take a train back again. I really don’t like looking at where I’ve just come from 15 minutes before (assuming a parking place at the Park-and-Ride), as I wave to my house from the train. What a silly feeling! Like something from Monty Python - go back to go forward.

Thought: maybe I could cycle to the station, then no problems with parking, but the trip to get the train would be almost as long as the train ride to Middle Earth.

(Graham Bathgate) of www.finelinepress.co.nz

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