So as Sonny mentioned, we decided that at least one of us should get to enjoy New Zealand's very cool little capital city, and so I was put up in a hostel in downtown Wellington so I could explore. I stayed at Nomad Capital, which was located very nicely, right near the waterfront, and Civic Square, and Cuba St. I had a bunk in a four person room. It was small, but nice. The hostel building was old and had some neat architectural details left over from its previous life.
When Sonny dropped me off in the early afternoon so he could go catch his flight, I was told it was too early to check in. However, they luckily had a bag storage room so I left my overnight bag and set out in the bustle. I made a beeline for my favourite street in Wellington - Cuba Street. This very pedestrian friendly area is lined with a myriad of unique and interesting little shops and cafes - from independent book and record stores, to well curated op shops, to quirky gift stores, and tons of different eateries. Sonny and I had already sampled one of the most famous, Fidel’s - a cuban eatery themed after the former leader. It was decorated with old opulence inside, and camouflage netting and Santa Maria alters in the courtyard where we ate. Today, I was going to be meeting with a friend of mine from FIT, Brady. He moved to Wellington several years ago, and we hadn’t managed to cross paths yet, even though at one point he was on Waiheke (but we were in Singapore). I killed time by perusing the various shops that caught my eye. I enjoyed Ferret’s, a very odd book store, and drooled over all the cool things in numerous cool boutiques. Finally, it was time to meet Brady at Olive, a brunch spot he had chosen. We ate in the courtyard, which was very cool, full of plants and stone. the food was good and we had fun catching up. We realised it had been nearly eleven years since we had seen each other! All too soon, he had to leave to go to work at Beach Babylon, a restaurant on the waterfront that he manages. I strolled back down Cuba Street to my hostel to check in. After taking a moment in my room to relax, I headed back out. I went to Civic Square and enjoyed the art and people watching. I then wandered over the bridge to the waterfront, dodging joggers along the way. It felt like everyone in Wellington runs! All day long you would see people running.
I slowly made my way around the bay, stopping in at Te Papa for a bit to say hi to Becca’s squid and see if there was anything new. They had a big exhibition on about Gallipoli, but I decided I would rather walk along Oriental Bay then climb Mount Victoria. The hike up was not terribly strenuous, but was made more difficult by the fact that I was still wearing my merino leggings under my pants as it was very chilly in the morning. It had warmed up now, and combined with the effort to hike up Wellington’s hills left me overheating! I eventually made it up as I kept exploring any path that looked interesting. It was the magical golden hour in the late afternoon and everything was bathed in a golden light. I relaxed, taking in the 360* views and watching the airplanes land and take off from the airport. Eventually I headed back down the hill and along the water.
I stopped in a Brady’s restaurant to say hi and have a drink. They ended up talking me into trying my first Japanese whisky, which was very smooth and butterscotch-y. Brady invited me to come out for another drink with him and his co-workers once they closed up at eight, and I agreed. We went to a craft beer bar, and I sampled some of the local brews. Then I headed back to the hostel to sleep. Unfortunately, I did not end up getting the kind of sleep I was hoping to. I had trouble falling asleep on my top bunk, and then after I finally fell into a fitful sleep, one of the other girls got up, packed, and left at four am. The main trouble was, SHE TURNED ON THE OVERHEAD LIGHT to do so. I will never understand inconsiderate people. However, Sonny got his wish and I appreciate him and our cozy van all that much more.
In the morning, I bonded with the two remaining girls by complaining about our rude awakening, and giving them my top five North Island adventures. One of the girls, Verana and I went to get coffee together. Conversation flowed easily, and I discovered that she is from Germany and teaches blind children. I found it fascinating the different techniques they have to use when teaching the kids due to the different way they perceive the world. She mentioned that she was thinking of taking the cable car up to the botanical gardens, and I asked if she would mind some company. While we did a brief tour the last time I was in Wellington, it was raining and I knew the gardens would be much prettier in the sun. We spent the entire morning ambling through the very pretty gardens, then parted ways near the Parliament. She headed off to take a tour, but I needed to run some errands, mainly shopping for some merino leggings for Sonny. I love mine, and he had always wanted a pair. Plus, with the South Island coming up, I figured the extra warmth would be good. I comparison-shopped through all the outdoor gear outlet shops, which were helpfully located in a row. I purchased his new long underwear from mac pac for a very good price. It was very hard to not purchase more merino for me as the discounts were very high. :)
By this time the lack of sleep from the night before had caught up with me, and I was beginning to feel tired and cranky. I headed back to Te Papa, and spent a few hours in the temperate darkness only museums can offer, then retired to a waterfront cafe to read my book until Sonny messaged me he was boarding the plan. Then I went back to the hostel, readied my stuff, and charged my phone and computer in preparation for his arrival.
When he picked me up, we were both a bit cranky and tired, and both had headaches. We decided to be lazy and let someone else cook for us. We ended up at a Malaysian restaurant, where we enjoyed a curry laksa and beef rendang. Then it was off to the bush around Lower Hutt to do a bit of cheeky freedom camping near the kennel so we could make the ferry in the morning.
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