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Published: August 31st 2006
I've made it to New Zealand where I'm staying for about 6 weeks, starting off in the capital where my girlfriend Rachael has been spending the last 3 months finishing off her MBA course. I've been here over a week and I think I've only just got over the jetlag after a 35 hour trip from Manchester via London, Los Angeles and Auckland! Surprisingly there were no long delays despite the recent tightening of security at the airports but it's a long time to travel and I don't sleep well on planes.
Despite feeling very tired I have managed to get out and about. On my first day here Rachael met me at the airport (I hadn't seen her for 3 months!) and we went straight out to meet Jennifer, a second cousin of mine who I had never met before as she has lived in New Zealand all her life. We had lunch in the centre of Wellington in a pub next to the office she works in, and I also met up with her at the weekend when she kindly gave me a tour of the city before taking me to nearby Plimmerton where she lives to meet
the rest of the family, including her three sons, their partners and her new grandson, 10 week old Alex.
Rachael had hired a car and we went off to Martinborough after meeting Jennifer on the first day. This is a small town west of Wellington that is known for its vineyards. We stayed there in a nice old hotel for a couple of nights and explored the area. We went wine tasting at one of the wineries and visited a nearby town called Greytown which has some great cafes and restaurants, and Schoc, a chocolate shop where you can see them making weird and wonderful flavours of chocolate by hand (including kiwifruit & vodka, geranium and lime chilli) and where they advocate 'chocolate therapy' and the 'psychology of chocolate' claiming that the type of chocolate you select defines your character - Rachael was in her element. On the way back to Wellington we drove to the coast and visited Cape Palliser where we saw dozens of New Zealand Fur Seals lazing around on the rocks. We could walk right up to them and probably could have touched them but decided not to when they showed us their big sharp
teeth. We drove on to Lake Ferry, the southernmost tip of the North Island, where we had fish and chips in a pub overlooking the shore.
I've also been to visit a couple of museums in Wellington: Te Papa, a fascinating interactive experience covering many aspects of New Zealand life, and the Museum of Wellington City and Sea. I've walked along the habour waterfront, taken the Wellington Cable Car up the hills overlooking the city and visited Parliament where I went on a tour of the old Parliament building and the more modern Executive Wing known as the Beehive (which is exactly what it looks like).
Later today we're taking a ferry to the South Island to visit Picton, Blenheim and the Marlborough Sounds.
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John and Judy
non-member comment
NZ ahoy.
We're v. envious as we've done much the same trips at Jenny's insistence! Do the lambs in Wellington all wear white wellies, must be the derivation of the word. Lets have more photos of Rachael, love to you both. J and J. PS Have sent a copy to your mother.