Jan 19 – On our last trip we only had an afternoon in Wellington before our ferry and we hadn’t planned things to do. There was some miscommunication then as we each wanted to go to the National Museum (Te Papa) but thought the other didn’t – so didn’t speak up. 6 years on we don’t hold back our thoughts/feelings at all so we knew we both wanted to visit Te Papa. We’re both happy about that!
It has a good mix of exhibits and art. The Maori artifacts and art were very interesting. We still don’t understand modern art well – one art piece was literally a black square on white canvas…..
Brent really enjoyed an exhibit on Gallipoli war front. There were some stunning sculptures like this one in the Gallipoli exhibition.
After the museum we went to the Parliament – affectionately known as the Beehive. Last time we arrived about 15 minutes after the last tour and missed out. This time we were hours before closing but… it’s school holidays and all of the hourly tours for the rest of the day were full. It wasn’t meant to be I guess! We might try on our way back through Wellington in a couple months. The outside is alright to look at anyway.
Wellington has a great Botanical gardens on the hill so we walked a full circuit around there to complete our day. There are many interesting descriptions of trees and plants, a large rose garden, ponds, and heaps of trails.
Jan 20 – After a day in the city it was time to do a proper hike. Bron picked a loop in the Rimuka Forest reserve that was about 12KM which seemed about right for us. The first 2KM of that were a long slog up to a ridge (+500m elevation gain) – there was some (swearing) sweating…
The view from the viewpoint wasn’t really all that good (not compared to the slog anyway), but the good news is there were great views as we went along the ridge. We could see the whole bay over to downtown Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
The trail was steeper and rootier than we prefer in some places but we got it done. The last 5KM joins a more popular trail which was a wide gravel path and much easier. A number of swing bridges had very specific warnings. Don’t be that 16th person!
Our wonderful AirBnB had a hot tub so we had a lovely soak listening to the birds and sheep after our hike.
Jan 21 – We wanted to get everything ready for our 5 day Able Tasman hike food/gear wise while still in a major city just in case things aren’t as available in the smaller towns. Most of the morning was visiting various stores to stock up. We really miss Overwaitea, Bulk Barn, Shopper’s Drug Mart, MEC, Sail and Atmosphere right now. And dill pickles!!! All the pickles here are sweet (we’ve looked at about 50 jars).
Shopping is OK, but stores are organized differently here – and no two are alike. This leads to long adventures to discover plasters and first aid items like alcohol swabs. FYI – alcohol swabs are only available over the counter from the chemist, who wants an explanation of what you want the product for.
With shopping complete we headed over the ridge to the wine region east of Wellington. Big signs proclaiming “NZs Wine Trail”. But….. not a grape or cask or bottle to be seen…. I’m not sure what we were missing? The good news is the drive was exciting and the lookout at the top of the ridge was great.
On our way home we stopped at Kaitoke Regional park and had an excellent walk around the swing bridge loop. An exciting swing bridge, great trees, nice trail, and even the filming location of Rivendell for the Lord of the Rings movies.
A replica arch way from Rivendell (Lord of the Rings)
Jan 22 – Time to say goodbye to our AirBnB hosts and get on the ferry.
The ferry info board was reporting sea conditions of 1 on a scale of 5. Yay! The crossing on the Cook Strait is known to be very wild some times. During our last trip here, we were told the big car rental companies don’t like their fleet crossing on the boats.
The crossing was early in the morning, and was uneventful on the Kaitaki (Interislander). We had great seats in the cafe at the front of the ship for the full voyage. To get to the vessel on time we opted not to have breakfast at home. Breakfast on the ship was OK. Brent ate the lamb sausage for breakfast. It was the kind of meal he could enjoy all day, if you know what I mean –
More than a third of the ferry crossing is sailing in fjords out of and into the harbours. It is a pretty slow trip, but beautiful – not unlike the crossing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay – but at almost three times the cost of BC Ferries!!
Loading and unloading is a bit of an ordeal on Kaitaki. We were loaded on Deck 5, and drove up a series of ramps, before being u-turned. The ship loads and off-loads from the rear only.
There is a antique car show on the South Island this weekend. The ship was full of vintage cars. Unhappily for the crew on Kaitaki, the crossing had a number of car alarms sounding, and this classic Chevy Nova Station Wagon failing to start during unloading. The young lady driving looked thoroughly embarrassed.
We drove to the Nelson area to our AirBnb in Upper Moutere. We are excited to be here. There are hops growing across the road, and a vineyard down the street. Our host let us know about a little dairy and bakery nearby as well. We drove through miles of fruit orchards and vineyards on the way from Nelson, about 20 minutes away.
We are looking to do some paddling in the coming days. More adventures to follow.
Brent And Bron Abroad 