Windy Wellington and Beyond

We made it to the capitol of New Zealand! My main man, Holden, and I held up just fine for the 4-5 hour drive from Napier to Wellington. Of course we arrived right during rush hour traffic and got lost in the middle of the city, so had to pull over for a beer to mend our weary heads. [Cool fountain in Napier]

The rest of our time in Wellington was spent walking all over the windy city looking at all of the cool shops, cafes, museums and art! The city is known for arts and theater and is also the home of Peter Jackson, for you Lord of the Ring nerds out there. Lucky for us, most of the museums were free (thank God) so we spent one morning/afternoon hopping in and out of the wind. We also made it to a wonderful play called The Walworth Farce, which was laugh out loud funny. For those of you who know me, this is quite a feat as I am a tough customer when it comes to comedy.

After three nights in Wellington we boarded the Interislander ferry for the South Island! It is a massive ferry that holds over 900 people and even has a movie theater! The ride was just about 3 hours and fortunately not too choppy like it was the day before. (I was certainly glad to not have to use the barf bags provided!) The North and South Islands are much closer than I imagined because you can actually see them both when you are out in the middle of the Cook's Straight. [View from the ferry, closing in on Picton - South Island]

Once we landed in Picton we were only a two hour bus ride to Nelson. Nelson battles Blenheim in being New Zealand's sunniest city. Of course, I'm rooting for Blenheim to win, but we didn't mind soaking up the sun while we were there. We also soaked up lots of calories from the amazing restaurants that lined the streets. At Morrison St. Cafe it was hard to decide what to get, but I went for the coconut bread with grilled bananas and lime sauce. I felt the cellulite growing on my thighs.I also hiked up to the Center of New Zealand and fell down a small hill taking a short cut on my way back. My favorite white fleece didn't fair too well, but my fatty breakfast did help pad my ass as I screamed down the hill.

Our next, and final stop...Blenheim!!!