Windy Wellington and Picturesque Picton

Wellington from Johnson's Point
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I went over to Wellington on Wednesday to spend some time with my auntie Harry and her son James. I flew over Wednesday morning from Sydney. I had a beautiful view of Wellington as I flew in. It was a gorgeous sunny day. Wellington is situated right at the bottom tip of the north island. Its the capital city of New Zealand but only has a population of about 300,000, so size wise the city is pretty similar to Cork. The city has a beautiful setting, set on lovely rolling hills and a really nice harbour looking out into the Cook Strait. The first thing that strikes you about the city is how green it is. As Harriet described it, its like there's some houses among the trees rather than the other way around. Everybody's garden is bush land!!

Me at the top of Johnson's Point with Wellington in the background
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After settling in Wednesday evening and catching up with Harriet and my 15 year old cousin James, I set about planning the rest of my 5 days. I really wanted to see some of the south island, and wanted to get a ferry across. However, the ferry takes 3 hours and costs NZ$100 return, so instead Harriet came up with the bright idea of flying across instead, which only costs $40 more and takes only 20 mins each way. What a great idea!!!

So I made my way back to Wellington airport Thursday morning for my flight across the Cook Strait. I knew the plane would be small but wasn't quite prepared for how small!!! There is no check-in or security, you just go straight through to departures and board the tiny 5 seater propeller plane. The pilot is also the air hostess and baggage handler. My seat was right behind the pilots, and a dutch tourist got to sit right beside her in the co-pilots seat!!! I know I'm a bit of a nervous passenger at the best of times, but I have to say I didn't feel one bit scared on the 20 minutes journey, even though it is a bit bockety. The fantastic scenery and just the amazing experience gets rid of any fears you may have. The view was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately the pics don't come out too well because the plane windows are made of perspex, plus its hard to get the mangitude of the 360 view into a photo lens. That's actually what I felt with taking pictures the whole time in New Zealand. Everywhere is so scenic and amazing that photos really don't do it justice!!

Wellington Hills
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Anyway, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Picton was to walk part of the Queen Charlotte Walk - its a famous 77km bush walk around the Queen Charlotte Sounds. But as it was off-peak season there was no way of getting to the sounds and back again in time to make my flight, so instead I got a cruise around the Queen Charlotte Sounds for the morning, and did a 15k hike in the bushland around Picton which looks right out onto the Queen Charlotte Sounds instead. The New Zealand people are so friendly. Within 15 minutes of me arriving, the local tourist office and flight office had my whole day arranged for me! The cruise was really nice. It really was off-season though, cos for most of it I was on my own with just the driver!!! The Queen Charlotte Sounds is the piece of water that goes out to the Cook Strait (water that divides the two islands) and goes in and out of lots of inlets. Captain Cook landed at one spot, now called Ship Cove 4 times when he discovering these parts of the world. The water is really calm and the surrounding land is pure mountainous bushland. The weather was fantastic too. I actually managed to get my first tan line and got sunburnt on my face...in the middle of winter in New Zealand!!!

Harriet at Johnson's Point
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In the afternoon, I took a packed lunch and started my hike up the hills. It was tough at times, but so rewarding. I have to say, having seen the sounds from the air, the water and the hills, seeing it from the hills was the best. Not only do you feel the satisfaction of having got there yourself and knowing you've done it alone, the view is spectacular. I walked all the way to Snout head and then had arranged for the airport bus to come pick me on a road on the way back. However, about 7-8km of the journey is totally inaccessible by road. You really are on your own in the bush. Given that it was off-peak and I only saw two other tourists the entire hike, it is a bit scary, but the locals had told me if I wasn't at the bus by 4.10pm they'd send out a search party...and I was there 20 minutes early so all good! The flight back was as amazing as the flight over, except I really wanted the co-pilot's seat, but some stupid businessman in his 50s who flies over and back every single week asked for it!!!

Wellington from Johnson's Hill
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Friday was so windy, I really understand why Wellington is called windy Wellington. I took the cable car from the Botanic Gardens down to Lambton Quay, which is the centre of the city. Te Papa is Wellington's famous museum, and I know I'm not a museum person at all at all, but as the weather was crap, I went in for a look around, and was really pleasantly surprised. Its a great museum, really interactive and colourful (OK maybe its aimed at 10 year olds, but that's the concentration level I usually have in a museum!!).

Me at the top of Johnson's Point with Wellington in the background
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Saturday Harriet arranged to bring me to Tana Umaga's final rugby match in Westpac Stadium in Wellington. For those of you not familiar with the name (I know Dan will be of course!!) he is the guy who spear tackled Brian O'Driscoll in the lions tour and then got barred from every pub in Dublin when they played there last year. So yeah, I should naturally hate him. But to all the Wellington people he is God re-incarnated. They adore him, and apparently B O'D is just a big wuss (well I wasn't going to argue with that one!!). It was a really enjoyable match, just to see the reverence they have for this man, and also the sport of rugby! Wellington beat Manawatu so that added to the excitement, oh and for the second half, a friend of Harriet's brought us up to the Corporate Box to keep warm!!

Harriet in her garden
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Saturday night, we went for dinner in Harriet's friends' house. She really has a great network of friends there. They're all Mums of boys in the Catholic school and have such a good close network, going on holidays together, spending Christmas together, that sort of thing. Anyway, one of her friends daughters brought me out to see Wellington at night. I'd also arranged to meet Kate's sister Mary who was in Wellington co-incidentally at the same time. The three of us had a great time. We had to, of course, start out our night at the Molly Malone, it being Mary's namesake (the tight barman wouldn't give her a free drink - the cheek!!) and then made our way up Courtenay Place, the main going out strip. I'd heard loads about NZ having a crap nightlife, but Wellington seems to break the mould.

Me in Harriet's garden in Karori
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Sunday was my final full day in Wellington and was a lot less windy than the previous days, so after scones in a friend's house, Harriet and I did a bush walk up the Wellington skyline and had a fantastic view of the city and the harbour, and could even see as far as the south island. You can definitely see why they set Lord of the Rings here!! Sunday night we went to the cinema, and then chilled for the evening. I didn't manage to get any pictures of James all weekend. But he's at that age where posing for pics for you way older cousin would not be cool!!

me and Catherine out in Wellington
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I have to say, my opinion of New Zealand as a country just for those who want a crazy adrenalin rush by trying to kill themselves bungy jumping or white water rafting, and as a really cold Ireland-like place, has totally changed. I am kind of regretting agreeing to work these extra two weeks in Sydney as I know there would have been no chance of me being bored in the country for two weeks on my own, it really is spectacular!!

However, my friend Peter had just arrived in Sydney and I have stuff planned for every day of the next two weeks, so there is no fear of there being a dull moment!!! I can't believe I've been here over 3 months already! That means my adventure is half over!!!