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Day 141- We had a bit of a lie-in and then got up to an amazing breakfast of bacon and egg on toast. After all 5 of us got in and out the bathroom we were ready to leave the house. We drove in to Wellington and manged to find a free parking spot (Wellington have a stupid rule where even if you are paying you can only park for 2 hours). We started waking along the riverside, there was a crafts market on and a kids show so the place was packed. We wandered around the crafts market which was brilliant, full of home made goodies. We continued our walk along the riverside. There was so much to see, so much architecture and creativity, there was even a section of the marina where a massive ladder with platforms was built where anyone (usually men/boys) could climb up and do their biggest bomb, splashing everyone. We walked in to the city centre and had a look at all the building and what the city had to offer, it was fairly quiet which was strange for a Saturday but everyone must have been at the marina. Our 2 hours were up so we headed back to the house, the weather was gorgeous so we sat in the back garden, talking and reading our books. We got ready and headed next door to Ian and Carrie's (Lloyd's mam's cousin and wife) where they had put on a lovely BBQ. We ate streaks, burgers, sausages and a load of salad - stuffed and great to have meal for a change. Once it got dark and a bit chilly we moved inside. We talked a while with a few glasses of wine and beer before heading back to the house.
Day 142- We got up earlier today and after another great breakfast we drove in to town again and managed to get the free spot. We walked to the cable car which took you to the botanical gardens. The views on the way up were beautiful and worth the ride. The weather was beautiful and we had a walk round the botanical gardens ending up at the magnificent rose garden and green house. Time was ticking on so we headed back to the car just in time for our 2 hour allowance. Back at the house Lloyd, Jonathon and Gorgon got ready to go to a football match with Ian and Adam. I thought about it but decided not to go, let the lads have there fun, Lynn wasn't up for it either so the two of us stayed behind. So off they went to the WESTPAC stadium to watch Wellington Phoenix draw against Newcastle Jets, apparently it was a good game. I just sat in the garden reading my book till they got back and got ready to go out. We headed in to Mirimar for a few drinks, there wasn't much to offer so after a drink in the 'Gasworks' we headed to a slightly shabby sports bar before having one more in the Gasworks before a taxi back.
Day 143- We were up, had breakfast and on the road by 10am. We were on the way to Palliser bay. It took about an hour to get to Martinborough which was the start of the Wairapa district where we had our first stop. We had a coffee and cake at a lovely little coffee shop and had a look around town. Further down the road was our next stop Lake Ferry where we spent about 15-20 mins on the stone beach where Lloyd and Jonathon spent the whole time skimming stones. Lake Ferry was a tiny tiny village at the end of the road so we had to drive back a bit and down a different road to get to Palliser Lighthouse. On the way we passed loads of lovely villages and then I noticed some seals out at sea. We pulled over and climbed down the rocks to find a whole seal colony. We had them all to ourselves for about 20mins before other cars pulled over to see what was going on. Back on the road we eventually made it to Palliser lighthouse, perched on the side of the cliff. We walked the 252 steps to the top and it was beautiful with great views. After a few pictures we headed back to the beach below, we spend about half an hour picking Paua shells (the most gorgeous shells I've ever seen). On the way back to Wellington we stopped in Greytown for a drink and a bit of a walk around. Back at the house me and Lloyd made chili and rice for tea which went down a treat.
Day 144- After breakfast we drove round Miramar bay and parked up to climb Massey Memorial which was only a 10-15min walk. Massey was a prime minister who served throughout WW1, he must have been an extremely well liked man as the memorial was massive and set on a beautiful hill overlooking Wellington. We had a little walk around absorbing the view before heading back down to the car and back to the house for some lunch. In the afternoon we met Ian, Adam and Emilie (Ian's children) at scorching bay beach. The sun was hiding behind the clouds but it didn't take long for it to find its way back out. We sat around sunbathing and chatting, Lloyd, Gordon and Jonathon went in to the sea and it turned out to be a lovely day. We spent the evening downloading and backing up our camera because we were off to buy a new one the next day after ours eventually died after years of loyalty. Ian came over for a curry and Carrie came over after as she was working late and we all had a few drinks before bed.
Day 145- We had another lovely lie-in before heading to the Te Papa museum with Gordon and Jonathon. On the way we stopped off to buy our new camera, after a bit of Lloyd and Gordon's magic haggling skills we managed to get $25 knocked off and we were on our way. We went to the Te Papa national museum and it was massive. It had really interesting information on earthquakes and volcanoes around New Zealand and good natural exhibits on animals, environment and Maori stories and culture. We didn't even get round the whole museum before our 2 hours were up. Lynn came down to meet us and we all went to the 'Roxy' theatre, a beautiful art deco style theatre. We weren't there to see a movie, Ian and Carrie had gave us a voucher for a dinner platter. It was lovely, belly pork, mussel fritters and all kinds of goodies. We headed back to the house and relaxed, packing to leave the next day. We made a big stir fry and borrowed a movie 'My Dog Skip' from Ian and Carrie. It was a great film and we had a few drinks before bed.
- comments
mam what a lovely time you all had xxx
gordon yea, remember it well wish we were still there. what a great experience.