Blogs from Wellington, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 19

Wellington today, up early and off the boat soon after 8.30a.m. Went out to breaky which was a nice change and also caught up on emails etc as internet on ship very slow and expensive. Left Betty and Muz as they wanted a sleep in after a few whiskey shots last night before retiring, will catch them up at 10.30 or so. Another gorgeous day here in Wellington, went to the Te Papa Museum, did the cable car to the botanical gardens and had a good look around Wellington. Caught up with Betty and Muz and had a late lunch at a lovely Thai restaurant down near the harbour. Don't know why we haven't been to New Zealand before, it really is very lovely - already talking about our next trip here. Heading back to the ... read more

I have travelled the continents and crossed the seas to discover a family down under just like Captain Cook discovered these far lands and the emotion is wondeful. What wonderful people, each one so individual but linked by an invisible bond of belonging.A huge thank you to sister Julia, brother David and niece Carol Karen and nephew Chris. So back to the travelling experience...good and short Qantas flight from Syndey to Wellington in under 3 hours with a good dinner on board. we arrived, survived immigration and customs ( very strict on importing food ), were met by Les from A2B carrental who whisked us through the paperwork and we were off to Martinborough by midnight. It was about a 90min drive on the empty mountain road and we arrived at Riesling Retreat to our little ... read more

I am currently wring this from the Premier Lounge of the 'Kaitaki' enroute from Picton (South Island) to Wellington (North Island) in the Cook Strait. We decided to upgrade our journey to include lunch, afternoon tea, free Internet and a private lounge away from the hassle of the rest of the ship. This very much after Joe Loader's mindset in Singapore. Well worth it! We left Christchurch at 7am (!) on the 'Coastal Pacific' for the 5 hour train journey to the ferry at Picton through a variety of country including the vine growing area of Malborough. The journey was excellent with a running commentary over headphones of the geological, cultural and political highlights of the landscape we passed through. The train has more windows than conventional carriages in England and there is also an open ... read more

We hoped for a clear sunny morning for our three hour trip on the ferry to the North Island, but funnily enough it was thick cloud and rain for the duration. The weather didn't improve as we reached Wellington and we were welcomed by gusts of wind and diagonal rain, we now know why they call it 'Windy Welly'! We parked up, and had a forty minute walk into town to avoid the pricey parking charges and made our way whilst being battered by the wind and rain to Te Papa, NZs national museum. It was a fantastic museum, we saw a great collection of Maori artefacts and we especially enjoyed the floor all about earthquakes and getting inside the house shaking as if one was taking place! After a good few hours exploring Te Papa ... read more

Hi Everyone Have Arrived at Annas in Wellington. Yes it is windy Wellington.It was awful weather in the National park yesterday so nobody could do the walking trips. The scenery was amazing. We had a lovely barbeque with the bus group. We all had to prepare it and it was quite a boozy night. It has been a lovely first week made lots of lovely friends. visited the gloworm caves yesterday. Very special.Looked at the geysers and mud pools. Went to a Maori feast. Done so much. Seems like I have been here longer than a week. There has been a tornado in Aukland and Roturua where I was yesterday. It has been terrible weather but luckily we had moved on. Forecast better for next 2 days. Its so nice to see my friend Anna from ... read more