No room at any inn - lessons learned!

View of Wellington
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So Rachel and I arrive at the information center in Wellington after storing our bags and we find it a nuthouse. It seems that there are many activities on this weekend, including a cricket and a rugby match so there are no rooms left anywhere, or at least none that are under $300 a night. Not only are there no rooms left, the ferry , rental cars, and buses out of town are also booked. I owe not sleeping at the train station to a very nice woman at the information center who thought to call the convent to see if they had any rooms available. Sister Agnes had two rooms and we were very happy to take them at the bargain rate of $30.

Botanical gardens
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We had enough time after working out our lodging to head to the botanical gardens and check out the views from the side of the mountain. We also ate at an incredible vegan/vegetarian cafe on the hip Cuba street that had some rather gourmet food for the price. I also discovered that Wellington is known for being rather windy. In fact it's called Windy Wellington. The day I was there the wind was blowing so hard that I found it difficult to walk down the street!

This was definitely a learning experience for me, from now on I will call a day ahead at least to book accommodation! At least I am able to get on the ferry the next morning to head to the south island, and I have booked my room in Christchurch so I am happy to know that when I arrive I have a place to stay!