New Zealand - Wellington

Exploring the North Island was to begin with a 3 hour trip by ferry from Picton in the South Island to Wellington. However, JP seemed to be destined to make sure that we were not going to make this trip, as firstly he 'lost' the keys of the campervan (thirty minutes of increasingly desperate searching the immediate vicinity of the van and eventually the whole campsite proved to be in vain as the keys were found in the door of the campervan!) and secondly, when we turned up at the ferry it turned out he had booked for Wellington - Picton and not Picton - Wellington (fortunately the tickets were completely flexible, so no harm done). Just to prove how relaxed we have become after a three-month break from work....

The ferry trip is a beautiful route through the sounds we had explored earlier and across the always windy Cook's Strait. Chances were that we would see dolphins and possibly whales. However, saying that the Cook's Strait is windy is an obvious understatement - after thirty minutes fighting the gale we gave in and found a few seats inside to warm up and submerge ourselves in some American teenage film that was showing.

Once in Wellington we made our way to 'Te Papa', an interactive museum that explains in words, visuals, sounds and computer animations New Zealand's unique geological history, the climate conditions and the resulting unique flora and fauna. After everything we had seen on the South Island, this gave us some further background to put everything in a broader perspective. Even though we had planned to 'allow' ourselves only about two hours in this museum, the combination of the appealing and fun displays combined with a fire alert which was the cause for the evacuation of the museum meant that we easily spent more time here. And we enjoyed every minute of it.

For the rest, Wellington is New Zealand's capital and seat of government. It isnt the metropolis you expect from a capital city, however it has an intellectual, cultural and student feel which made for a pleasant enough stay. However, the city is short on sights to even fill the remaining afternoon, so we retreated to something that has become one of our favourite passtimes - walking up a hill. At the west-side of town lies Mount Victoria, from the top of which there are great views of the city, Cook's Strait and the harbour. The climb is steep, but the vistas worth it.

The way down led through one of Wellington's apparently more sought-after residential areas for the young and successful private and public workforce - so you can imagine that we fitted in very well ;-) What was interesting to see, though - and we had noticed this before - is the work-life balance in New Zealand: it looks like everybody makes a point of exercising before, during or after work hours, which means that jogging, cycling, skating or running people on their way to and from work or at their lunch break is a common sight. We have made a mental note.....

The assault of the hill had left us hungry, so after quick Malaysian meal we went to our campsite, where we turned in early, as the next day would be one of a long transit.....