Welcome to Wellington

Dear Sally,

It has been awhile but we’re finally going to update you on our travels.

After time spent in Rotorua, it was time to work our way down to Wellington. I ditched my sandals and hiking shoes in exchange for a nice pair of dress shoes and was ready to hit the city. I was excited to get back into a city and Wellington did not disappoint. It was nice walking along the harbor and taking in the scenic views.

Our first night we went out to a restaurant called Chow. We opted to sit out on the balcony thinking we would be fine with the temperature in the 60s. However, I guess we’ve lost our Boston skin because we were freezing! Thankfully the food compensated for the chilly weather. The restaurant served asian fusion dishes, tapas style. I like tapas because you can try a variety of things. Unfortunately though that means I need to order like 50 items in order to satisfy my appetite. :p

Later that night we decided to check out a bar at one of the backpacker hostels. It was a fun bar with good beer but for a second I thought I was back in the States as they played the same music I would hear at any bar back home.

The next day we went to Te Papa which is a museum about New Zealand’s history. It was pretty enjoyable and free to the public. I liked learning about earthquakes and the exhibit that emulated a small earthquake tremor. I also found the exhibit on immigrants to New Zealand interesting. It was cool to read about people’s stories on how they wind up living in foreign places.

Unfortunately all we really had time to do after the museum was to get ferry tickets to the South Island, walk around, and eat, since the majority of shops closed by 5:30PM.

When purchasing the ferry tickets, we were told we could catch a bus to the ferry at Platform 9 but I knew she was mistaken. Clearly we needed to board the bus at Platform 9 ¾. I kept telling this to Ryan and he looked at me like I had lost my mind. However, I am always right about such things. :)

Next we were off to the South Island!

- Justin