Welcome to Wellington

March 5: Going to Wellington

On the Interislander ferry right now. Geoff just came with our afternoon coffee. We have been trying to get our North Island itinerary organized and we keep changing our minds or folks change dates. We had a long chat with a North Islander and now we are thoroughly confused. We don't know what to expect when we get there. We have been so spoiled in the South, I hope we are not disappointed with the North too much. So far, we are confirmed up until the 9th and after that, we will have to play it by ear and see which way is best to go - taking it one day a time, you might say. I have a feeling this is going to be a whole different adventure.

Speaking of adventure, we have finally booked the Fiji cruise with Valentino for 4 nights. Wish us luck with that one. We have not decided where to go for the 4 days after that. If anyone has any suggestions, we are open. Just for giggles, we stopped into a travel agent while in Blenheim, to find out about a last minute deal to the Great Barrier Reef - no such deal. Looks like we have to come and do that some other time.

Our ferry conversation:

S: "Are you scared or nervous of traveling in the North Island now that we have had it so good in the South?"
G: "No" with a sneer "Are you?"
S: "People are starting to scare me with what they are saying. Bad roads, heavy traffic, lots of people..."
G: "You're kidding, right? Didn't you live in the Bronx???!!!"
S: "Oh, yeah, right."

Boat is about to dock now. We had a very good crossing - nice and calm with sunny skies.

Thank God for GPS. We disembarked from the ferry at exactly 5pm - rush hour in Wellington. After being on the South Island for so long, we had forgotten what real traffic looked like. Eventually, our GPS guided us to our next ATC location. This house is in a great neighborhood in a small village up in the hills above the city. They are neighbors to the Indonesian Embassy. We made our introductions and chatted for a while. Margaret and Keith gave us the lay of the land. We could walk up (it is always up in NZ) the hill to the cable car and take that directly into the city. Wonderful we don't have to drive!! The other option is to go to the other end of their street to the Botanical Gardens and walk through there to get down to the city. This is the option we would like but it is weather dependent and things are looking iffy for tomorrow. If it is raining we can spend all day in the museums. Wellington is also hosting an arts festival this week, so there is plenty to do.

For dinner tonight, we made our way up the hill to the Skyline Restaurant by the cable car. For a Friday night without a reservation, we were lucky to secure a window table looking out high over the city. The food was great and the view was grand. We felt like we were in an entirely other country than where we just came from. My fears were gone and I was looking forward to exploring this city in the morning. Back at the house, we sat and talked some more over tea before turning in for the night.

March 6: Exploring Wellington

Walked down through the Botanical Gardens into the heart of the city. This is a great city, especially on foot. We strolled passed Parliament toward the harbor and then around the water to Te Papa the big attraction in Wellington. We spent hours there and could have spent many more. A wonderful place. Did the stupid tourist thing and rented the peddle strollers to go around the other side of the harbor. Stopped and walked through the circus that was going on. Working up an appetite, we stepped into Mac's Brewery. Viewed the brewing facilities and had the absolute best mussels yet sitting out in the sunshine watching the people go by. Walking back through the city to find our way to the cable car back up the hill, we went through the civic center. It is wonderful how this city incorporates the arts into their architecture. We were lucky to have a beautiful day to explore - it never did rain. Tonight we go up the hill for Indian food.

Next time... Napier