Sleepless in Windy Wellington

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Up early to get the ferry to Wellington - a 4am start which was not welcome! Made it for the 'last check in' at 4:45 to then sit in the cold for an hour and a half before we boarded at 6:15 mmmm.....

Ferry crossing was great- nice and calm and we had great views leaving Picton; lots of low cloud, small coves and windswept hills. Had to stop taking photos in the end as we had too many pics! Arrived in Wellington about 9:30 and then went to a local campsite (need to camp as the costs in NZ have spiralled a bit). Unfortunately the camp site was in an Industrial area and next to a dual carridegeway which did not seem best for a good nights sleep. Managed to find a hostel in town with some gardens you can camp in and squeezed the tent into a space. After putting up the tent and getting some lunch we headed down to town which was only 15 minutes away. Found the post office for the tax disk and also managed to get some tickets for the new Bond movie. Not sure if they are released worldwide on the same day, but if so we might have watched it before people back home - cool!

Picked up some supplies before heading back to the hostel and onto the local swimming pool. Was a really good one with lots of lanes, free floats and a sauna to warm up in afterwards. Think we might have had to pay extra but like a couple of cost conscious travellers we snuck in! Quick dash back to the hostel and snuck in the last car parking space before a tasty meal of pasta, sausage and veggies with pesto and a walk down to the Embassy Theatre for the film. The cinema is in an old theatre and is very bling! Both enjoyed the bond film - its been a while since we have been to one so it was a real treat! Grabbed a beer at a local Welsh pub so Beck was in her element! Headed back to the tent, but the weather has deteriorated and windy Wellington is living up to its name. We are pitched on top of a hill in a force 5 - not a good night ahead!

Worst nights sleep ever! The wind got worse during the night and all the tents were flapping like mad. The wind kept deforming the tent and blowing it in with some of the pegs getting ripped out. Both finally got up about 7:30 and packed everything up deciding we need to be inside here to get some sleep. Managed to get a room so we should be ok! After a quick breakfast we went down to Wellington town. The weather has deteriorated further and its throwing it down. Were planning on doing a walking tour but instead stopped at the first place - a Mauori museum called 'Te Papa'. Spent a couple of hours going through some of the exhibits learning a little of the history. Came away feeling the Europeans treated the Maoris diabolically and the issues are still present to this day.

By the time we had finished the weather had brightened up quite a lot so continued on the walking tour going through the civic square with a crazy suspended ball and wandered up Lambeth Quay with all the xmas stuff on display in the shops. Seems mad that xmas is only 20 days away. Made it up to the Parliament buildings and saw the infamous beehive. 70's architecture and concrete make similar buildings the world over!

Slowly wandered back to town with a plan of going up in the cable car. Beck spotted a dress shop and was enticed in - managed to get a couple of dresses for $120 about 40GBP so she was really happy. Paul also had some luck and managed to replace a fleece which was lost along the way. Decided after all the shopping we had enough for one day and grabbed a couple of beers at a local brewery outlet the great 'sassy red' again! After a trip to the supermarket some dinner and internet Paul braved the elements for a beer and chocolate run before we stumbled to bed a little the worse for wear.

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