Total Miles Traveled: 60,099
Two weeks on the South Island have flown by and we’ve barely scratched the surface. Now, we’re on our way to the North Island for our last week. We’re taking the car ferry from Picton to Wellington, journeying through some scenic sounds and islands.
Along the way, you see little pockets of houses – communities accessible only by boat. Some are holiday homes for the wealthy.
After 3 hours, we reach our destination…
Wellington
“Welly” is the capital city of New Zealand. It’s known for its volatile weather – people say it can be downright shitty but when it’s good, it’s really really good. This, and the grungy artsy feel it has reminded us a lot of San Francisco. Cuba Street is like a grungy version of the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.
There are a lot of references to Fidel and Havana, but it’s really only for show. There aren’t any Cubans or Cuban culture here.
It’s still funky nonetheless.
Travel Notes: try the Matterhorn restaurant for dinner. It’s quite good. Here’s a nice sunset in Welly the one night we stayed there…
Next, we head to Tongariro National Park, the site of Mount Ngarauhoe, or better known as Mount Doom, from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.