The Other Windy City

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When last you left these intrepid bloggers, we were getting ready to head out on a day's hike over the Tongariro Crossing, supposedly the best one-day trek in NZ, as well as the setting for Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, we'll have to take the guidebook's word for it. The weather had kept anybody from going this year, and we were no exception.

After a day spent on the beautiful shores of Lake Taupo, we headed down to Wellington, known as the Windy City. Actually, it had quite a bit in common with Chicago, especially in the way it crushed Auckland, NZ's NYC. While the wind was constant and chilling, it wasn't much of a difference for us. After getting in the first night, we actually came across a bar named after our home city, although their interpretation (Chicago-style Eggs Benedict?) led us to move on quickly.

The next day, we headed up the cable car to Wellington's Botanical Gardens. After taking a leisurely stroll down the hill through the plants and flowers, we split up for a bit. Chris took in the Te Papa museum, NZ's national shrine. Justin took in the Rose Bowl with Kevin, a bricklayer from Cleveland whom we'd traveled with often since Auckland. After Vince Young worked his magic, we headed out to catch some music at a local pub.

Our last day in Wellington, Chris was patient enough to sit through a One-Day cricket test between Sri Lanka and NZ. Even though 8 hours long, it proved to be quite exciting. The Blackcaps pulled out a great comeback, thanks to the bowling of Patel, a Maddux-control type, and Bond, a Prior-power type. The place was rocking after Bond coaxed a pop-up for the 10th wicket in the 47th over (how's that for jargon?). Some fans claimed it was the most exciting cricket match in Wellington history.

Today, we took a ferry over to the South Island, bedding down in Nelson. So far, all we've heard about the beauty of the South Island has proven true. It is lush, versus the volcanic nature of the North Island. We head out tomorrow for Greymouth.

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Photos

Tongariro Crossing
The wonderful views from Mordor will have to wait for next time.

The View from Mt. Victoria
Kevin and Chris take in the skyline of Wellington.

Hour Four
Can you see the excitement in Chris' eyes as we wait for the Sri Lankan's to come to bat?

Comments

[MD]

Tongariro Crossing
Love reading your journals even tho' I don't know you at all. I'm confused about the Tongariro Crossing remark. Were you unable to go on the trek at all, or did the guide cancel on you?

[Carrinos]

Thanks for the interest
Sorry if that was confusing - our web access has been a bit hurried here. We really wanted to do the one-day trek, but the weather gets pretty harsh at 2,000 meters. Thus, whoever is in charge up there hasn't let anybody go since the New Year (at least up to when we were there). We were willing to stick around a little longer, but it didn't seem to be getting any better, so we moved on.