Wellington, NZ was our next port of call and I had heard this was a really fun town, so I just prepared for a nice day exploring. I started out with a bunch of different crew members downtown where we indulged in that signature coffee New Zealand is known for. Then, with it being Superbowl Sunday (event hough its as Monday here in NZ), we stopped for a bite to eat just in time to watch the kickoff and then headed out on our way. Our first stop was the cable car. The city has a historic cable car that rises up a large hill overlooking the city. It was a fun little excursion with good views and once at the top of the hill we found the beautiful botanical gardens. We wandered through the gardens for a while and soon realized we were making our way back down the hill, so we wouldn't be needing our return ticket back down the cable car. It was fine, though, because the walk was so nice and it was an amazing, sunny day outside.
We ended up back down in the city centre and a bunch of the crew split up while me and Tonyia decided to keep walking around and exploring. We headed to the pedestrian road and sort of hipster neighborhood known as Cuba Street. It is a blocked off street with tons of restaurants and shops and it seemed everyone in town was hanging out and enjoying the day. We were happy to join them and soak in the cool vibe of the town and eventually we went to the large museum that was the sort of newest, largest museum covering the entire country, its history, arts, culture, religion, etc. It was a really excellent museum, but we didn't have a ton of time, and part of that time was spent with me looking for Tonyia, whom I thought I had lost. (Long story.)
The rest of the afternoon, Tonyia and I walked along the waterfront back to the ship. We passed so many people enjoying the sunny day: business men in suits laying on grass, college kids, tons of runners, locals hanging on a dock playing guitar and jumping into the harbor to cool off. It was a great day. Tonyia and I couldn't help but have a good time as we had yet another cup of coffee and ice cream and I found a piano in the street to play a Beatles tune. Wellington left us saying, "We could live here." The fact that it was a Monday afternoon and so many people were so obviously having a great day was really refreshing to see.
Our last port of call in NZ was Nelson. I had made big plans in my head for a bike trek out to some wineries, but after a long crew drill and rainy skies, I figured that wasn't the best plan. I ended up heading into the small town of Nelson and finding the main shopping strip. I grabbed coffee and lunch and found some free internet as the sun came out more and more and more. I regretted my decision to not take out the bike, but ended up hearing from a few people about a nice hike called the "Centre of New Zealand" within walking distance of town. I easily found it and made my way up the quick, but difficult hike. It takes you to the literal geographical centre of the country, which was an interesting little piece of information and the view was great. The ship was visible in the harbor and beautiful, green mountains were on the other side. It was a nice break from the day spent in town at cafes and shops. While Nelson was a nice stop, I would have rather been able to explore further out of the city and I think it was a bit of a let-down compared to all the great ports we had enjoyed thus far in NZ.
After our time in this country, though, I must say: if it wasn't SO FAR AWAY from everything and everyone else in the world, it seems like I place I would love to live. It is outdoorsy, healthy, the people are kind, stylish, there are beaches, and mountains… what's not to like? On to Aussie-land next!
Tripp
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