Wellington - the capital of NZ and also known as the windy city, and for good reason!! The whole time we were there it poured with rain, but we managed to have fun anyway, we are English after all so felt kind of at home!!

We spent two nights in the City, mainly to give ourselves time to go on the internet and get sorted but also so we got chance to explore the city. On our full day there, nic decided to go shopping (supposedly for essential stuff haahaa) i had a day of culture. I made my way to the Parliament buildings, also known as the beehive for its unusal srtucture.I joined one of the hourly free guided tours which was very interesting. The building itself is both strikingly modern, with one of the most innovative earthquake protections systems, and beautifully historic. As you would expect it was full of historic paintings and artefacts.

The most interesting part of the day for me was the optional visit to the House, which was midway through a debate. I sat watching for a while as they debated the penal system amongst other things, all very similar to the types of political debates going on at home. I found it fascinating, they seem to take the issues both seriously and as a source of much humour at the same time. It defiantely made an impression and built up my geek points for the trip so far.

Nic mean while bought a jumper and a bottle of $2 perfume.

That evening we all went out for an Indian which was absolutely delicious and much cheaper than at home. We followed this with a glass of wine and a game of pool before a relatively early night for the early start to catch the ferry the next morning.

The ferry across to the Southern Island was quite choppy cos of the bad weather, but we distracted ourselves by going to see Notes on a Scandal, a brilliant new Judi Dench film.

On the other side, we stopped for lunch and wine tasting. The wines were all whites, but gorgeous none the less. Nic also tried some shots but at 11 in the morning it was still a little early for me, esp after the ferry ride

Then it was on to Nelson...