Wellington

Rotorua to Wellington

This morning we were focused on hitting the road. Mike got a move on while I finished yesterday's post. Then, while I showered and packed, Mike filled up the car and picked up 3 meat pies from Better Quality Pies. This time he got bacon, cheese, mushroom (deliciously cheesy); chicken, apricot, camembert (Mike's favorite); and lamb, mint (my official favorite). We ate them in the car because it's a rental and we're on vacation. This meant that our first stop was after being on the road only 30 minutes. I couldn't stand the crumbs and just had to stand up to shake them all out. Funny thing. Ever since we got the car, we've been seeing a few stray ants every day in it, on the dashboard or near the gearshift. I had honestly wondered how so many bugs got into a vehicle that has so few points of attachment to the ground. After eating those pies, though, all I could think was "ah-ha" and:

We left Rotorua a bit after 10 am. Our pit stop was around 1 pm in Taihape. We used the restrooms at a convenience store and I chose a few packets of junk to try.

Mike really liked the Marmite crisps!

Mike has been doing a great job driving

We drove through several little towns with downtowns that are about a block long.

Our first sighting of the ocean

Our first sighting of Wellington and Cook Strait

Wellington

We pulled up to the hostel at about a quarter to 5, checked-in, unloaded the car, and rushed off to return the ants to Avis. After that, we were free to roam the streets. We happened to be hungry and spotted a Burger Fuel, which is a chain we'd seen in Rotorua. The patties were super fresh and juicy, and Mike highly approved of the buns. 5 out of 5, would eat again.

Front of menu

Mike got the American Muscle and I got the Hamburgini

There are clever little cardboard holders that you fold up yourself

We took the long way back to the hostel and got to see Cuba St and the infamous buckets which refill themselves.

What a mess!

Then we walked along the waterfront and got to enjoy the view. It's beautiful, there are friendly people about, and it's tidy.

These signs are doing the pee pee dance!

There's a bar connected to the hostel that offers a free beer for purchase of two. We might pop back out tonight for a drink, but knowing us, it's just as likely that we chill and hit the hay early.

All in all, as far as first impressions go, Wellington's a nice place. I definitely want to see more of it next time, especially Te Papa which is meant to be a great museum. The restaurants that were recommended to us (Whitebait and Logan Brown) are both a pretty penny, so maybe our future selves can look into that, too. But for this trip, we've just got the one evening and then we are catching an early morning ferry to Picton. Talk to you again from Picton!

Earthquake!

P. S. Whoa! I was just getting ready to post this when the room started shaking and the wi-fi died. Not sure if those two things are related. I'm working off my phone (data) now. It was a magnitude 4.4, centered just off the coast where we drove today, 32.5 km from where we are sitting right now. We felt a mild rocking for about 2 or 3 seconds. If the hotel's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin', says Mike.