New Zealand Part 13 - Wellington

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Rivendell, crazy sevens action and old friends

Well the drive to Wellington didn’t look that far but it was!! Poor Nath had to stop a good few times to reinflate his arse cheeks, and I couldn’t share the burden as my foot was still massive and wouldn’t allow me to wear shoes!! We had stopped part way though at a place called Woodville, where I had seen a poster previously about cheese cakes. We stopped by just to see what the fuss was about at a place called yummy mummy’s and perused the 20 long lists of different flavours. Talk about lush, they then hooked us in with a free sample (it was sooo thick), so we gave in and had the hard decision of only picking two….I had tiramisu and Nath went for raspberry crumbled and custard….mmmmmmmmmmmmm. They gave them to us frozen in little pots so we could eat them later (can’t wait), and off we continued to Wellington.

Now since our arrival in New Zealand we had been keeping in email and text contact with our friends Adam and Evy who we had met in Fiji. They had gone to OZ whilst we were in new Plymouth and had already come over and done the south island before we had hoped to get moving again. So it was gonna be great to meet up again and catch up on life and also swap suggestions on what to do and where to go. We had arranged to meet at the only camp site nearest to Wellington itself, this was a pricy one at $35 a night but we had no other option. All of the camp sites were miles away so you’d need to drive into town anyway and all the hostels were fully booked. I had figured this was because it was the weekend but it turns out we had picked the one weekend where the rugby was going on.

After arriving at the camp site we met up with Adam and Evy who hugged us gingerly as they hadn’t washed for 2 days, it was so great to see them again, although we could only just see Adam as he was soo hairy it was hard to make him out (hehehehe). As they weren’t going to be in Wellington long we decided to head straight into Wellington city to see what all the fuss was about with the rugby sevens. Over here they have something called the “sevens” which I think refers to the number of players and basically 14 teams compete over the period of a weekend playing one game after another r (they only last about half hour each) and everyone (and I mean everyone) uses it as an excuse to dress up….as anything…it was bonkers!!! We stopped for some cheap tea in some food court thing and then ventured out into the streets. There didn’t appear to be anything going on, so I asked at a local YHA hostel to check we weren’t missing the main street. We were given directions by the guy at the desk who said that we were right with the main street but things wouldn’t really kick off till later. He then recommended a couple of places to drink at so we headed off. Only problem was he directed us to one of the furthest away pubs in Wellington. I had managed to squeeze some flip flops on but was walking at hobbling grandma pace so it took even longer. The boys were getting frustrated rushing ahead like a pair of kids, as we passed many other pubs with people beginning to start drinking and wishing they were in there too. We finally found this pub which was actually really cool. It was very busy but had a huge outdoor decking area with candles and fairy lights. We ordered the recommended beer which I don’t think was very cheap and settled outside, where I got bitten again by flies. I had luckily brought with me loads of fly spray and antihistamine so spent the whole evening watching my feet and not really concentrating on conversation. Luckily Adam and Evy are both medically trained so were giving me advice on what was best to do (go to a GP really was my best option) and spent the evening slapping me every time I tried to itch.

We had a few more at this place (indoors though) before making our way back to the bus stop. They were putting on extra buses that night for the sevens so we needed to make sure we got to the stop before the last bus. This however wasn’t as simple as it appeared, I had read the fact sheet wrong (that the hotel had given us) and the bus we wanted was actually for the next night - dam it, I think the lads we peeved as they could have got another hours drinking in!!! It did however allow us to view the many different forms of fancy dress that were swamping the streets of Wellington. It was mad, ever single person had something on, some had made a real effort, and others had clearly bought there’s whilst a good majority had just used it as an excuse to dress as they would secretly like to.. So we had everything from underwear to ball gowns, rubber animal to inanimate objects pass us by. Unfortunately none of us were sober enough to think to take pictures and a little pre occupied with the cost of a taxi if we had missed the last bus, so I apologise for the lack of photos of this mad evening - but I think you have to see it in person to really experience it.

Finally back at the camp site it was straight to bed as it was about 3 am by now…zzzzzzz. Next morning was a lazy one, with Adam and Nath having a nerdy computer meet to swap films and stuff (they had both bought the same lap top) (Nath - because it is the best laptop and great minds think alike and Adam is a fellow super genius who doesn’t bother to match his socks!!!) and Evy and I exchanging maps and ideas for the North and South islands. We decided as they had only one more day in Wellington and that Adam and myself are massive LOTR fans we would head off to Weta workshop. Adam had already dragged poor Evy around all the LOTR sites in the south island, making her lay by trees so they could get the exact spot that “something happened” in the film. So Evy was already numb to all the nerdy LOTR stuff, Nath however wasn’t so much, but put a brave face on.

Weta is basically the place where all the effects were made for the films, everything from the beasts to the swords and then some…. It was a small place really more like a souvenir shop with all sorts of film memorabilia and not just LOTR stuff either as it has been many years since the films were done and Weta have worked on many other films. They did have a small “museum” section with a few props and models but that was about it. Adam and I were still impressed whilst Evy and Nath did their best not bored impressions. We stayed for a little 20 min presentation they play about the work that goes on behind the scenes which was cool. Took some token shots of Adam and I next to their life size models and headed on our way for some lunch.

Adam and I had discussed various places to see the filming sites and how a lot of them required more than a little imagination. Until this point I had considered going on one of the many LOTR tours but was convinced not to when Adam leant me his book of locations and I just copied them down. You can get to most places yourself for a lot cheaper so Hobbiton at Matamata was really the only one worth going to - phew!! Anyway we headed off for lunch in the boiling heat (must have been about 25 degrees which without much ozone is really really hot!!) to the Mount Victoria lookout over Wellington. It was really lovely, again such a nice place that Nath and I added it to our imaginary list of places we would stay if we had jobs!! After lunch and a few hundred shots and videos taken by Nath (hehhee) we decided to go our separate ways as we still had loads we wanted to do in town and had another night booked at the campsite, whilst Adam and Evy had thought they would stay at the local DOC site before hading off.

It was a shame to say good bye so soon, we’d loved having people to catch up with that were soo similar to us in many ways and it also gave Nath and I a good rest from each other (as I’m sure it did them too). Never mind we thought these are good friends we’ve made who we’ll hopefully catch up with back in the UK. So we headed off to the doctors for me to finally sort my foot out. On Evy’s recommendation I was hoping to be given a form of antihistamine but after two hours waiting (they see you by importance, so until my swollen foot was more important than anyone else’s problem, I had to wait!!!) I came out with an expensive consultation bill and a prescription for steroids. Poor Nath by this point had been sat in the van waiting for what I was hoping would only be an hour at most and was nearly cooked in the afternoon heat. So we headed back to the camp site where he had a kip and I did internet stuff whilst watching Wales play live at the Westpac stadium in Wellington. Wish we’d managed to get tickets, If I’d know it was going on I would have done, oh well - Wales won their match by the way - come on boyos!!!

That evening ashamed of our lack of photos of the rugby dressing up we decided that after Naths nap and some dinner we would head in. However as usual with the amount of stuff we had to get done online we ran out of time so had an early night instead - rock and roll as always. We woke up the next day and I was most impressed by the wonders my steroids had already done for my feet, unfortunately the doctor had only given me a few days worth in case I reacted badly (I think she was just trying not to give the foreigner too many drugs) so I was definitely gonna make these babies last as I was bound to get bitten again, and at the cost of seeing another gp I wanted to avoid it if possible. Now when I was looking at this trip I had read that NZ had some sort of reciprocal agreement with the UK and therefore assumed that I wouldn’t have to pay up front. Turns out you still have to pay but then you claim it back of you travel insurance and I guess they get it back form the NHS?? So something else that will need doing online at some point. Anyway that morning we spent nearly all day (or at least it felt like it) on line. There was still so much to do, not just blogging but van argument stuff, credit cards etc, it all takes ages but can’t rally be left. As usual I was getting moody with poor old Nath coz it was 1pm and we still hadn’t done anything so we made our way into town (after I’d pinned him to the ground by the neck and made him promise with his wheezing breath that we would go now!!…..) and went to meet up with some very old friends of mine from uni Vicky and Rich.

I hadn’t seen this pair since I had finished uni, mainly because they stopped speaking to me around that time due to ex boyfriend related issues. It was a little awkward at first saying hello but we soon all got chatting and went for ice cream on the beach. We hadn’t been sat there long when I thought I saw dolphins in the Wellington bay but it turned out to be swimmers enjoying the cool waters. However when I looked back a second time there were dolphins, I hadn’t imagined it, a whole school or pod of them dancing around by the boats. They were great to see and we did try to take some shots but they were too far away. After a few hours chatting we were invited back to Vicky and Rich’s house for some tea. We hadn’t planned on spending so long with them as I wasn’t sure how well our meeting was gonna go (we’d already managed to steer the conversation around anything but my ex/their friend) but as it had gone well we went with them to their home up a huge hill. I should have mentioned that since I had known them at uni they had got married and had a little boy Edward, so when we got back to there’s Nath spent a long time helping him ”play” with his toys!! They had a lovely house with wooden floors and high ceilings, not your traditional kiwi house, and they also had a cool view out over the Wellington bay area. I say had though, someone had built in front of them so now you could only see half the bay. It turns out in NZ you don’t have to apply for building permission until after you’ve built something, and usually by then, if anyone wants to contend it its too late coz they can’t be bothered to make you take it down!!!

Whilst we were having dinner I got a text from Adam and Evy to say they were staying one more night but not at the DOC site that I was ready to take us to after dinner. They had been there the night before coz it was cheap but also because it advertises that they have wild kiwi running around the area. Turns out the facilities even for a DOC site were rubbish and the supposed kiwis near by were a 4 mile trek up a hill. So with this in mind they were heading off to Domain campsite near where they had filmed Rivendell for LOTR. So I was easily convinced that this was the place for us. We said our good byes, less awkward this time (hopefully after about 8 years I will now be able to keep in contact with them both, even if it is just over the net) and headed for Rivendell, yippeeee. It took us a while to get there and when we did Rivendell itself was a 5 min walk away and we were staying in a huge nature reserve run by the council. They are called Domain sites and the tourist info people never tell you about them unless you ask (they don’t tell you a lot of things if you don’t ask very specific questions!!). It was cheaper than the DOC sites but had much better facilities although still basic. We pulled up alongside Adam and Evy and their little juicy cruiser (one of these estate cars with a mattress in and some portable cooking equipment). They were outside on a bench in the misty rain cooking their dinner poor things. We joined them on the bench, Nath with his must have cup of tea and shared the little of the cheese cakes we had left.

That night was hilarious; as the night moved on we all sat inside Elton with the sand fly candles on (no electric hook up) and drank lots of beer and rum out of tea cups, as we had nothing else to offer. It was nice to hang out with other people and just chat about stupid things (the more stupid as the night went on) we sat up till early hours talking rubbish, stopping at one point to listen to Evy answer the phone to her mum in Dutch (still find that switch between languages amazing). She was a little embarrassed I think so went outside to finish her call whilst we carried on drinking. It was really dark at the site and the toilets were a good walk away in pitch black, so at one point when I needed to go I made everyone get out of the camper so I could use the porta pottie!! Once the rum was running dry and I was finding it difficult to stay awake and we all headed to bed, deciding to clear up in the morning. You should see the shot next morning of all the bottles etc on the side, looks like we’d had some kind of rave or something. Funnily enough though Nath and I woke up easily about 8am next day, although Evy and Adam were a little later, they were enjoying their lay ins since spending so long in the south island and having to be up early every day to move on. We said a final good bye after taking some group shots with Nath’s “boom arm” as Adam liked to refer to it as, and we headed to Rivendell.

I was very aware that we had spent 3 nights now in Wellington and not really seen any of it so didn’t plan on being long. As usual you needed a bit of imagination for the site, they had a picture of where some scaffolding was and you could definitely see it but that was about it, nothing spectacular (I think I am wasting my time seeing these sites really and no doubt Nath agrees), so off we went back to Wellington. After finding the cheapest all day parking we could, right next to really expensive parking (what’s that about?) We headed into Te Papa the national museum of NZ. It took a good few hours to walk round, my favourite bit and only reason for going was the earth quake room, as I’ve always wanted to know what an earth quake feels like (safely of course) and we also spent some time in a room were you cold upload your digital images onto a huge white screen, so we made Mandy and Nath wall paper (I’m thinking of selling it in Harrods). We also found the smoothie of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus that Adam and Evy thought was worth a look. After this we walked along the water front, which was very busy with schools on sports day I guess, kids jumping into the sea off of old bits of dock machinery etc (they have no fear here or maybe no sense??), people leaving work with their power suits on and trainers and of course plenty of tourists looking at the mundane things. Nath and I were originally walking the wharf to get to another museum that had a sort of Alice in wonderland theme, but by the time we found it it had closed - never mind, we used the opportunity to take photos of the buildings we hadn’t managed to visit and perhaps should have done.

We had a few hours till the ferry was due (as they were an hour late- so we would be leaving at 9pm) so Nath and I went into town to get some legal advice about Elton, this took quite a while and although confirmed what we thought was the next step, didn’t really tell us anymore than we already new (this was free “practice advice” given by trainees). So by the time we had finished there it was a quick food shop and dinner stop before rushing to the ferry terminal. The ferry itself was quite large and had a bar, cinema room, couple of viewing decks etc (the same I guess as you get going over to Ireland) but because I had booked us on the last ferry, hoping to not waste the journey time during the day, everything was shut. This didn’t of course stop Nath and I trying to get everywhere we could. Having freedom camped the night before we still hadn’t washed so had brought all our stuff on in the hope there would be showers. There were but only by the cabins which were all off limits - so we sat at the back of the boat so the wind would carry our smell away and after a very smooth crossing we arrive in Picton just after midnight - shattered!!

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Photos

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Mandy and Evy out in Wellington

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Adam (looking just a little drunk)

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Waiting for the bus that never came

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Nerd camp, swapping films

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The Weta workshop / museum

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Mandy before she applies the make up

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Mandy must have cold hands to cause a face like that!!

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Nobody likes you!

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Victoria Lookout above Wellington

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Spot Elton

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Nath forgets to zoom out

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Thats better.

Comments

[Russ]

LOTR Sites
The ones on the south island are a lot better than those on the north island