Monday, 20 Feb. Took a ferry to the North Island and the capitol city of Wellington. Left the car on the South Island. Minimal clothing/sundries.
The ferry was late. From the reaction of “regulars”, I sense it’s often the case. Not that many walking passengers, which was surprising. Some old American cars. A few motorcycles. Side comment: There are surprisingly few Harley bikes. People dress like they’re on Harleys, but they’re riding Suzukis and such. Of course, BMW riders dress like BMW riders.
Wellington is compact. Easy to get around. Very pretty. Everyone is also very, well, calm. No one is rushing. English reserve I guess. Many backpacker hostels. Had dinner at a bar with “Believe It OR Not” Quiz Night. Extremely organized. I stayed for two rounds. Round One: Famous people’s tattoos. I knew Pam Anderson, and would probably have guessed Lady Gaga. Round Two: Sports and Games. Four Questions about Cricket, two of Rugby, one of men’s field hockey, one of Scrabble(!).
Hotel stunk. Literally. 8 stories with an atrium. Each room has a small kitchen that I’m guessing exhausts to the atrium. Kimchi, curry, fish, etc. There’s also some construction going on, so drying cement. I asked for some air freshener.
(At the bar, when asked the obligatory question “Where are you from?” by a server, I said “I’m from the South Island.” He laughed, said “good answer”.)
The ferry carried a Komatsu ore carrier, in two parts. Massive, with about a foot clearance.
The long waterway had individual homes in dozens of little bays. No roads, but they did have power lines. Very nice.
Wellington. A clean, organized, compact city. A little more abstract art than I’d like. Most of the downtown is on “Reclaimed” land. A more refined term than landfill.
Train Station. Reminiscent of Harry Potter.
“The Father of Wellington.”
I love their humor.
The Cable Car begins in the middle of downtown, then goes through a series of tunnels before reaching the top.
See the video.