Arrival Wellington
Ok...this must be one of the worst campervan spots around BUT it is on the Waterfront of Wellington. It is basically a parking lot with plugs on a main road, with office blocks looking down lon you, no shade and 4 showers and 2 toilets to share amongst about 30 campervans. No other facilities...and it is the most expensive park yet. But...it is in the centre of Wellington and just around the corner from the hotel Lyn and Simon are staying in tonight.
After another first - traveling with the Campervan via ferry from Picton to Wellington. Great experience. The views of Marlborough Sound were amazing. The ferry has lots of inside seating, comfy and warm. Out on the deck it was really chilly - beanies were the order of the day. Sad to have said good-bye to South Island, cannot believe the first section of our trip is already over...exciting to see Wellington appear so quickly. It is important to stay in the moment and soak it all up.
Wellington seems to be quite a quirky city with a sense of humour. Looks like a city that is easy to live in, spread over the hills around the bay. The Waterfront area has been developed as a great public space with lots of informal seating. Art Deco and colonial style heritage building are interspersed with modern structures ...and somehow it really works. There is some ugly functional 70s architecture....but that seems to have crept into most cities. The Railway station has a wonderful old feel to it, an amazing building.
Rowing teams were practicing and the dragon boats preparing for some major event happening on the weekend. So many runners and cyclists...everyone seems to be rather fit. To see men in suits with briefcases cycling looks a bit incongruous...how refreshing though. Bicycles, roller -scooters, skateboards and in- lineskates seem to be a general mode of transport for all ages. Fantastic !
The number 1 attraction in Wellington is the national museum, and rightly so. It is absolutely brilliant. Interactive, entertaining in a really quirky way, educational and above all free ! A definite leader in its field. This country has such an interesting diverse population, a real melting pot of people from the Pacific, Asia and Europe, especially refugees from wartorn areas like Somalia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Bhutan. The personal testimonies are very touching and thought-provoking.
The botanical garden and gondola don't really measure up to Christchurch and Queenstown, but I got the opportuniy to smell the roses again on my first day on North Island and we had a worthwhile walk.
The pieces of art scattered throughout the botanical garden, the Waterfront and town are very thought-provoking, humourous and sometimes bizarre, but interesting none-the-less - like the Water Twirler. Wonderful to see such an investment in art and creativity.
Tomorrow one of the largest cruise liners is coming into the harbour, time for us to leave !