Bob and Theresa: Wellington

Wellington - October 31

Wellington is not the largest city in New Zealand (Auckland has that distinction) but it is arguably the most important. It is the Capitol and is also the main ferry terminal for travel between the south island ("mainland" according to the south islanders we met) and the North Island

Again, Bob located an independent tour guide, but this one was a little bit of a twist - a man who promised a Maori slant, since he himself is of Maori descent! We had a bit of a disconnect in that he was waiting for us one place and we were waiting somewhere else! I learned that in the future I'll have our guide's mobile (cell) number before we arrive AND have an agreed upon meeting time.

But, we did link up and had a fabulous day!

Once again, Bob "popped out" onto our veranda and snapped a few photos of the shoreline as we came into port.

A tugboat always accompanies the cruise ships just in case she loses propulsion.

We moored in the port next to the lumber processing yard. New Zealand has made quite a cash crop from growing tall pines that mature in 30 years. Mainly exported to Japan.

As we settled into the pier, we moored next to the rugby stadium

We met our guide and were off for a quick tour of Wellington

Our first stop was Old St Paul's

The interior reflects the beautiful architecture

The ambo is unique

And the presence of the US Marine Corps flag recalls the importance of Old St. Paul's to the Marines in Word War II

On to the government plaza where we saw the "beehive" some important monuments, as well as the buildings that formed the traditional seat of government

We passed through the city and noted the nice looking houses arrayed on the hills

We drove out of town a little and our host Gary, said that in the Maori culture it is not good to remain strangers. He invited us to become his official guests through a traditional Maori hongi greeting. We each shook hands, touched our noses, and said "kia ora" a traditional Maori greeting. The ceremony was somber and moving - far more than we had expected!

As we ascended to the high hills, Gary explained the area to us

We stopped frequently for photo ops - here to look back at Wellington

The Four Musketeers!

As we drove, we noticed an ostrich - not an animal found a lot in New Zealand. They are being raised there as they are in the US as a meat product.

We drove further and higher as Gary shifted to four wheel drive a few times! Wind farms are evident but out of sight of the city

We passed into a private reserve that Gary is allowed access

We passed this magnificent mansion on the mountain flying the Italian flag

As well as this sign post - We especially like the bottom entries showing distances down to lower sites!

As we drove higher, the views became more magnificent - and unfortunately higher - Theresa became more and more frightened.

During this ascent to the peak of this mountain, Theresa sat in back with her face buried in her hands

Coming back down, Gary observed "I think we'd better skip the Devil's Drop!" to which we all concurred

So we took the more gentle descent - still in 4WD much of the time

The wind really was whistling as we posed for this photo near the top

We encountered quite a bit of interesting and some exotic wildlife

This photo captures the ferry in the Cook Straights with the Mainland (South Island) in the distance.

This monument commemorates the sinking of a sailing schooner off this coast

We made the final descent to sea level, much to Theresa's relief

We stopped at this "bach" as in bachelor shack as all such small vacation cottages are known. Gary is given use of this house by a friend and we used it as a comfort stop

Animals of all kinds are found along this coast

We could see the lighthouse from the cabin

As we drove down the beach, Bob thought he'd seen a seal - turned out to be kelp, so Bob took some razzing about his eyesight. A few hundred meters down the coast, Bob again said he'd spotted a seal - this time it turned out to be true! Gary was pleased but a little surprised to find a seal this far north this time of year.

We then stopped for lunch at Bach's a restaurant which Gary and his wife operate for their son.

The setting is idyllic . . .

. . . and the food delicious!

Best of all, we got to meet Gary's wife Maraea

As we concluded our day, Gary took us through an area that is being converted from old warehouses to modern shops and restaurants

Finally, we found the seaman's club next to the pier where we could get free Wi-Fi and update our emails (Wi-Fi on the ship was very slow and very expensive - a bad combination!