Wellington, NZ

Thur 29 Jan, 2009 - Wellington
Got to the Nomads hostel to find Thursday night is ladies night with free champagne and tapas. Met a girl from the UK who is over here on a horticulture study for three months and had just arrived. So we sat and had champagne then had 2-4-1 drinks before going to the botanic gardens (via the cable car which goes straight up the hill). She was meeting a friend at a concert that was being held in the gardens. Was going too be a bit hit and miss as she didn’t have a phone and only a rough location - amazingly we found them (or they found us!). It was a beautiful set up with the crowds gathering up the hills to hear the group - ‘Woolshed’ or something to that effect. It was nice to walk through the gardens on dusk. The trees along the path were lit up. After the concert went with the group through the gardens - where all along the path were glow worms (not something I’d expected to see tonight!! That was a cave tour in a another week or so!! Jumped in the car and went down this really windy street, which was apparently two way but really shouldn’t be. Went to the Southern Cross Bar and had a couple of jugs (shared - not all to myself). Luckily the place closed at midnight or I think it would have been an even later night, considering after all the walking I’d done I wasn’t thinking of doing anything tonight. Enjoyable things usually occur when not planned.

Fri 30 Jan, 2009 - Wellington
Had decided to spend another day in Wellington rather than race straight up north. Also had read about a dance costume exhibition in Lower Hutt. So after breakfast went up by train. The enchanted forest exhibition featuring costumes from the New Zealand Ballet‘s Cinderella, Opera’s Hansel and Gretel and the Maori dance group. Was put together well with not just the costumes but also video footage of the works along with comments from designers, directors and choreographers about the process.

Back to Wellington and walked from the Parliament area right around the foreshores to the Te Papa Museum. The Te Papa is an excellent museum all about the development of New Zealand including changes since Gondwana, volcanic activity, flora and fauna, European settlement plus art works from past and present.

A light dinner and I was exhausted. As only 4 hours sleep last night. Tonight will hopefully be better though it is already midnight and I need to be going by 7am to catch the bus to Napier.