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Sacre Bleu-stard!!!
We start this blog going over old ground, you already knew we were in Wellington, you also knew we arrived in the dark staying in Plimmerton and you already knew we'd seen the All Blacks play the dirty French, we (Rob) say dirty as one of the French players said he was beaten up by a gang of thugs after the game, the whole country was outraged by such an appalling attack. Many police hours later we find out that he was spanked by his own team-mates, now the whole country (Rob) wish he did get that pounding!
Jack Frost Nipping At Our Nose!
We awoke to the sound of crashing waves outside our window, like excited little kids on Christmas day we ran into the living room, pressed our noses up against the giant windows to see our new land in day light, only to be welcomed by the greyness of this damp weathered landscape. Even with all this colour loss, Plimmerton is simply stunning, on a clear day you can see the Kaikoura Ranges on the South Island. We opted to stay a 30 minute train ride outside Welly as most the hostels in Welly read
Still Smiling
all the way to Wellington! as; puke and alcohol stained party pits, sick Brrrroooo
(when you're young, that's how you talk, translates to: That's great brother!)!!! Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's the British Summer Time when we are wrapped up warm here in NZ, feeling more like Christmas time, and that's just what it was, the half year winter dinner, a popular pastime in NZ. On June 25th the Xmas carols rang out and every one in the hostel sat down for Xmas dinner, each of us preparing a dish or supplying the drinks. We were nominated for desserts, making sticky apple & cinnamon cake and hot chocolate brownies. It was the first time we've had roast potatoes let alone a full Xmas dinner, including pigs in blankets since leaving the UK, the only thing missing was the Queens speech! On Boxing Day Rob even managed to get a surf in at Lyall Bay underneath Wellington's airport runway on the south side.
It was time to meet a familiar face for Kirstin and a new one for Rob. James has lived in Welly for three years and introduced us to a night out wining, dining and f*nny-swiping (don't ask!) in Wellington
Plimmerton sunset
the view from the hostel and what a very pleasant evening it was but like most evening's they are over far to soon and before long we were saying our goodbyes. Hopefully not for so long this time.
Capital City The Size Of A Wee Town
Wellington is a nice manageable city (town) to stroll around from the CBD to the more shabby chic cafes on Cuba Street; the Wellingtonians have mastered the art of the perfect coffee, this appears to be on account of the wind blowing a lot, hence its nickname of the “Windy City (Town)”. People take shelter in the coffee houses and nothing but the best coffee will do.
We took cover in the Te Papa museum on a particularly windy day, where the excellent free museum covers everything from Maori culture to the largest squid in the world, that is in width and not length, we believe this specimen to be in London.
An American, Who's Married To An Australian, Who Are Living In New Zealand!
When we were up in Northland we were lucky enough to strike up a conversation with Bruce who had invited us to meet his family when we got to Wellington, we were
very much looking forward to meeting Gillian and their four year old daughter Tasmin. We received the warmest welcome and felt as if we had known them for a lot longer than a day, Gillian treated us to the best homemade Thai curry; somehow at the end of the day we came away with a car called Rocket, that we were kindly lent for our remaining time in Welly!
Our last afternoon/evening was spent with Bruce, Gillian & Tas before heading to the South Island; Rob was let loose in the kitchen to prepare a thank you dinner. It is always a privilege to meet such lovely people who we can call our friends. All this from a chance meeting in Ahipura. Thank you again guy's for everything xxx
Pass The Sick Bag?
The three hour crossing from Wellington to Picton on the ferry was not one we were looking forward to very much, mainly on account of the fact that everyone seemed to have a Cook's Strait crossing horror story to tell you. This is a notoriously rough bit of sea and we were hoping to pick a good day. Bruce kindly dropped us off at the
ferry terminal and we said our goodbyes, saying goodbye is always difficult, but this was not goodbye but more of a see you around later!
We checked in our bags, the conditions of crossing sign said “moderate”, this was good news, there are four ratings and we were on the second notch above dead calm! After a few slam dunks across the surf coming out of Wellington it was pretty calm the rest of the way, Rob was thankful that he didn't have to feed the fish again! The clouds lowered and the rain started as we arrived for the final part of our journey along Charlotte Sound into Picton. The darkness drew in and the rain got heavier but thankfully our chariot, in the form of a people carrier and hostel owner was waiting to greet us!
Rain, Rain Go Away!
We spent the next three days in Picton under a black rain cloud that did not stop pouring, we made use of the inclement weather and sorted out our hire car and plans for the South Island.
Will the rain ever stop? Will the dark clouds clear? Is Michael Jackson really dead?! All this and
Marlborough Sound
Interlander Ferry more in the next so-so exciting Kiro blog!
LOL
Kiro
xxx
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Bev
non-member comment
No matter what the weather is like it still looks so beautiful, no wonder you had to make a long hard decision to continue or come back to England. The weather here is a mixture of sunshine and showers but still reasonable warm unlike the freezing temperatures you are having. Going to mum’s the weekend and stopping off at Whitstable to see Pete and Maureen so will have a look at the caravan rental for you along with any other properties in the area, although I hear beach huts are quite a popular choice these days! Loopy has not been well for the past week, can rabbits get swine flu? She has not been eating and generally sleeps all day, but I refuse to pay vet bills when she only cost £20. Hope you have a great birthday old boy, and look forward to going out very soon. xx