Blogs from Wellington, Wellington Region, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 11

Safely back in Wellington. Got in about 3 hours ago. I should be in bed, but Sara had an unopened bottle of wine leftover from last week and, it being too cheap and nasty for her tastes, I offered to finish it. I then attempted to use my 120 minute calling card to call home. It took 96 of the minutes away just to get a "call not permitted" message when I finally reached the point where I dial my house...therefore I can't try again. AT&T...I can think of a few abbreviations for it at this point. I just then spent 10 more minutes looking up insults beginning with the letters 'A' and 'T' just to make this humorous, but toilet humor is far below most of us right? Grow up, really. So the last five ... read more

Just a quick follow-up to the story in my last blog about the jessie who complained of hypothermia in Simon's footie game the other weekend and got the game abandoned.....well he did actually have hypothermia and actually stopped breathing on the way to hospital and nearly died!! Shockeroonie..... See the link below or cut and paste it into your address line if it doesn't show up as a link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3261954a6561,00.html Despite the coach trying to sound concerned for his player in the article, the truth is he told the lad to 'stop being such a girl and get on with it - everybody's cold!'. If this was the US, he'd get sued for squillions....Anyway, Simon found it especially funny as he was marking him and he now claims he 'froze him out the game'....but that was ... read more

We survived the storm that would have sent Florida natives running for the hurricane shelters. Winds raged at 120km/hr and rain pounded our little house. Today the sun appeared and all is well. Fortunately it was a 3 day weekend, so we didn't have to work in the weather. Monday was Anzac Day, the celebration of the Australians and Kiwis at Gallipoli. Unlike our own Memorial Day, people actually observe it. Many stores and restaurants were closed for the day. Today we spent hiking through East Harbor Park and monitoring the stream that runs through it. The water was a chilly 8 degrees, but most of us braved it in the name of science to measure the water quality. I love how Wellington offers the opportunity to be so near nature while civilization is just around ... read more

I love it here. Wellington is perfect. It sits on a natural harbor, hugging green hillsides and staring out at brillant blue water as far as one can see. As I flew in I could see reef patches through the water. My only frustration is that I don't already know the city. I want to know my way around, where to go and how to get back home. I know it will come with time, but I want to be a part of it now. After wandering through the botanical gardens we set off to find some good pubs. Not being a huge beer fan (which sucks because it's the cheapest drink and everyone drinks here, lots) I tried some local wine. Beer is big, but other options include a rum and coke in a bottle ... read more

That's it! bye bye south island, north island here I come! Yesterday morning we boarded the Interislander ferry for the 3 hours trip from Picton to Wellington. Wellington is not the most beautiful city. There are some nice buildings here but the overall design could have been better. Still there are pubs open late - as we didn't see so far in NZ, and one could have some fun. We did have some beers and even danced to the live music in an Irish pub here. Unfortunately, due to Easter they had to close at midnight, otherwise they are open till 3, 4 or 5AM. The main attraction of the city is "Te Papa" (Maori for "our place") museum. It's a museum about the history of NZ from all points of view - creation of the ... read more