Wellington, New Zealand

We arrived in Wellington, New Zealand by plane from Auckland. The flight was about an hour, which since we were a bit pressed for time seemed like a better idea than the 12 hour train ride (though apparently it had some great scenery). Kaitlyn and I had a bit of an adventure finding our hostel as the bus driver told us to get off at the second stop. We misunderstood his advice and were surprised to find that we weren’t in the city of Wellington but in another small town. We decided to try walking and ended up hiking up a massive hill where we asked a nice woman for directions and she told us to board another bus as it was a very long walk. Although we had walked for about 20 minutes with our heavy hiking bags and backpacks, I did get some nice pictures! The second bus driver was much more friendly and nodded to us to let us know exactly when to get off. Turns out this stop was only a block or two from our hostel! After checking in, we explored the town looking for a place to eat. Many of the restaurants were closed and we did a full circuit that took us about 30 minutes before finding a café/bar called “Joe’s Garage”. Turns out they had all-day breakfast which made Kaitlyn VERY happy. I ended up ordering a delicious ice cream sandwich made with chocolate wafers. Later on we learnt that February 6^th is a holiday called Waitangi Day! It’s a public holiday held to celebrate the day when New Zealand joined the British Empire in 1840.

After dinner we explored the harbour and waterfront. I really enjoyed walking through this area as the space had been designed to be used in a way different from any of the other waterfronts in the previous cities we visited. Both tourists and locals were able to feel comfortable and connected in the space. I saw children jumping off the pier, adults relaxing in the shade, and tourists taking tons of pictures. As well, there seemed to be a seamless link between the varieties of uses along the water. A museum, marinas, grassy areas, small beaches, playgrounds, and areas for commercial and industrial use all shared this space. The artistic use of sculpture, benches and greenspace all enhanced this area to create one of the most functional and widely-used waterfronts so far.

Unfortunately the sunny weather didn’t hold up for the second day that we spent in Wellington, however we didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits. We set off late in the morning to tour the botanical gardens. After grabbing some really strong specialty coffee (since apparently the idea of a regular “double-double” coffee doesn’t exist), Kaitlyn and I ate a small breakfast, consisting of muffins and fruit, on the grass near some local museums. Our walk through the botanical gardens was once again different from the last two..

The botanical gardens in Auckland and Sydney seemed more like parks, with plenty of wide-open grassy spots and large trees growing along the edges and scattered in-between. Both had duck ponds and fountains as well. There were some arranged gardens; however I found it hard to spot signs identifying different species. Overall, these two were definitely not what I expected when I think of botanical gardens. In Wellington, there was so much variety; I saw rose gardens, a duck pond, an herb garden, bush walks, a main garden with annual displays, and after a long walk up a hill…great views of the city. Definitely worth a visit!

After supper, we went to the beach, because unlike both Auckland and Sydney, it didn’t require a car or bus to get to – it was only a 20 minute walk from our hostel. Getting a great look at a rainbow after the rain all day, it was the perfect ending to our last few days on the North Island. The next day, we’d be jumping on a ferry and heading over to Picton on the South Island. So began the final journey of our time in New Zealand.