Napier to Wellington

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February 24, 2009 On to Wellington !

"Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong." Dandemis

Chalk yesterday up as a learning experience. Up early and eager to get out of town. I learned from my online friend Zappers that Kim Crawford is actually a guy. This morning I’m driving directly to Wellington. First stop Hastings for my now mandatory morning coffee. Didn’t look at the map after coffee and immediately got lost. Just out of town I come across my first hitchhiker. Turns out to be a young German guy taking a year off after college. This is very common among Europeans and growing among Americans. I don’t know the name of it but there is a network where students can find temporary work for lodging sometimes and other time just low wage jobs to support their travels. This guy, Alvik Neumann, has worked picking kiwi and doing a number of jobs like washing dishes in cafés and restaurants. He said the big plus about the dish washing jobs was he didn’t have to spend much on food. O.K.!- I have to stop here to point out something I consider more than interesting. The kids name was Alvik Neumann. When I was growing up I read Madd Magazine religiously and those familiar with Madd know the key character was a kid named Alfred E. Newman. Coincidence? I think not! This is not the first little thing like this I have bumped into.
Got to Wellington and found Te Papa, the National Museum. This is hands down one of the best facilities I have ever seen. It not only has extensive interactive displays having to do with how the country was formed, it has full size exhibits of Maouri houses, worship halls, sailing ships etc. And Carla, the featured exhibit was a traveling Monet. Several hours later I was out on the street to explore. Downtown is relatively small and very eclectic. Cuba street is the funky scene and surrounding streets have restaurants, pubs, great and varied accommodations. Wellington is the center of café society in NZ and there are some spots that put anything I’ve seen in the US to shame. Long about 5:30 I wandered down to the waterfront and what should I find but the weekly Wednesday nite ocean swimming race. Divided in classes they start at 5 min intervals and swim varied distances. The last time I saw anything like this was a few days earlier when Clinton(the guy that took me fishing) and I saw a school of fish in a frenzy as they ran away from the shark we saw. Unremarkable dinner then to the van and to bed. Maybe I wasn't clear, they have overnight parking at the museum with surveillance cameras and foot patrols, so that is where I "camped".

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Photos

Napier
Street scene - A lot of the larger cities have closed off a street that becomes a central mall

Hastings
center city park - The sheep are statues and when I first walked up on this scene I thought the people were too

Wellington
This is a flat white a.k.a. a latte.

Wellington
the New Orleans restaurant.

Wellington
Cuba street

The Beehive
I believe that this really is a space ship and that New Zealand is controled by aliens. Thats why they are so well adjusted.