It was nice seeing Caitlin again after the bus journey to Wellington, although having said that, it had been nice seeing Tauranga, Rotorua, and Taupo, at entirely my own pace. At Liz's we feasted meat in front of a nice warm fire, and I met an ewok dog, Sophie, who was the most adorable bundle of fluff ever.
On Monday morning, I awoke to the most gorgeous day. It was just like the day before in Taupo, except that this weather was unusual for Wellington (the norm being lots of wind and rain). Liz took me and Caitlin on a walk through the backstreets into the city. It was exactly the kind of walk I would have done if I had that sort of local knowledge - loved it - and Caitlin and I started off by walking along the waterfront towards Te Papa museum. Such. A. Nice. Day. Wellington was a much nicer city than Auckland too, and had a very distinct Southern European style to it.
Unfortunately the museum was closed when we arrived, so we walked around town a bit to find me some breakfast. Cuba St was a swanky place loaded with fashionable and competitive cafés and restaurants, but was too expensive. Eventually we found a place in the CBD where I had a delicious toastie and apple juice. Yum! After that, we walked back to Te Papa and had a good look around at all of the Maori exhibits, the giant squid, and interesting articles about the first settlers; the relationship between the Maori and New Zealanders seems to be hugely more amicable than that between Australians and Aborigines.
After the museum, we met Liz at the library, and she paid for our lunch, which is always a good thing. Panini and peach melba muffin. Yum again! Liz had a meeting to get to, but told us how to get from Mt Victoria from there, so that's we did next. We wound our way up some stairs and through some streets around a monastery before finally reaching the mountain. It was weird climbing through such forestry so close to the capital city, but that's what Wellington was; houses built into hills, a bit like hobbits I suppose.
So Caitlin and I climbed to the top for a fantastic 360° view of the city, and what a view. A perfect blue sky with sun beating down on the buildings and trees below, and mountains all around. I thought I could see the South Island from where we were, but chances are it was just clouds in the distance. Anyway, we walked back down through the bush paths, and after going the wrong way stumbled upon a sign that said "Lord of the Rings filming location" and an arrow pointing back towards the way we'd just come from.
!!!
So we turned back until we saw a signpost that said "Hobbits Hideaway", and an arrow pointing up a path we passed on the way. So we walked up it, and although I couldn't really make out where exactly the scene ("Get off the road, quick!") had been filmed, the path, and whole mountain had that look to it that was very reminiscent of the scene. Exciting stuff.
After a huge getting lost walk home, we arrived to the most delicious rare steak and a toasty fire again. Lovely. Carys called me at 1 in the morning, which was nice, and when it was time to wake up properly I packed my bags, ready to catch the Interislander ferry across the Cook Strait to the South Island of New Zealand.
Liz's son, Angus, drove Caitlin and me to the terminal where I said a final farewell to her, and then I had to wait a couple of hours in the freezing departure lounge for the ferry, which was delayed. At least I had a steak sandwich and my music for company. After an age I boarded the ferry, a boat with a really nice interior, and we set sail for Picton!
Now, I don't get seasick, but after an hour of watching Mythbusters in a 2-4 metre swell with bad fish and chips in my belly, I was starting to feel unwell. I stood up, a fatal error, and that lurching feeling hit me straight after the weightlessness of the boat bouncing over waves. I ran to the toilet and tried to throw up for 15 minutes, and when nothing came, I went back to a table and spent the remaining 2 hours of the journey lying down, trying to fall asleep. I was too tired to care for the sunset when it arrived, and we passed through Marlborough Sounds in the dark.
It was so nice stepping onto firm ground again, and after a short walk down the road off the ferry, I arrived at my hostel (without going the wrong way for a change). It was a really well kept place, with good rooms, a good kitchen, and a roaring fire. After making myself at home, I had dinner, watched 16 Blocks on TV, and randomly got talking to a woman called Jane for about 2 hours.
Wednesday morning I checked out, and had a good walk around the town. Picton is small, but there were nice views of the mountains and bay from all over. Soon it was time to catch the bus, so I collected my bags from the hostel, and delayed the driver who was expecting me to be at the ferry terminal, but I was at a stop further down the road, which was awkward. Anyway, then I was off to Nelson!
I love that the drivers of the InterCity buses give commentaries as they drive through the various regions, telling us anecdotal history of each town and road we're on. We passed through Blenheim in glorious sunshine, and its miles and miles of vineyards and fruit-growing orchards, past mountains, and fields, and eventually arrived in Nelson, a lovely town that reminded me of home.
The hostel there was easy to find. Was this a new exciting period in my travels where I would start being consistent in finding where I was staying without taking wrong turns all the time? Who knows. It was a nice hostel, and I met some great Welsh and Dutch people at dinner. In the evening I walked around town and booked a bus to Marahau for the next day, before walking to the bay and river, taking loads of photos of the sunset. It was a really pleasant evening.
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