Saturday my friends and I went on our last adventure in New Zealand and spent 4 days in the capital city of Wellington. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side but we made the most of it. Wellington is known as the windy city of NZ as well as the film industry capital and often called "Wellywood". Currently there's a debate going on because the city wanted to put a white sign on the hills just like the Hollywood sign but many locals didn't want the Californians thinking they copied them. I suppose it's a matter of opinion? But anyways. We got in around dinner time, Saturday night and checked into our GIANT hostel. I've been used to small 15-20 person hostels but this one was 7 floors and similar to a hotel. So many people! It was interesting. We found a delicious sushi bar with a conveyor belt packed with amazing looking dishes that zoomed by your face all night. It was hard not to grab a few plates!
After that we met up with some other friends who coincidentally were visiting Wellington that same exact weekend. All of us headed out to check out the bar scene. And it was lots of fun! I loved the city at night, it kind of reminded me of a much smaller version of New York. A ton of people were out and we decided to dedicate the night to the Queen. Afterall, it was her birthday on Monday. :)
The next morning we slept in and woke up to a rain storm. We decided to spend the day at the museum which was huge and had some amazing exhibits. The museum holds the world's largest colossal squid ever caught. I was a little freaked out with how big it was and kind of never want to step foot in the ocean again...I tried to take a picture of it but the glass/glare/lighting didn't allow for a good photo. Google it? Haha. After the museum we rode the bus to the famous Weta Cave which we were sad to find out actually wasn't a cave. It was a small, white building pretty much in the middle of nowhere. BUT still pretty cool. In case you don't know(I didn't haha), Weta Cave is the company Peter Jackson and others (less known, sadly) started many years ago. It's the giant workshop where they create all kinds of creatures, props, costumes and make up for movies such as, obviously, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, District 9, King Kong, Chronicles of Narnia and tons more! Unfortunately due to privacy and "secretive" rules no one is allowed to tour the workshop. But we got to see the gift shop which has tons of props that were used in the actual filming of these movies. We also got to watch a short movie on the history of the company that showed a little behind the scenes features and what goes into making one of the big Hollywood movies. I thought it was pretty cool.
The Museum
Weta Cave
Carla and I with a local celebrity
This guy greeted us at the door. (someone tied a balloon to his finger haha)
Monday morning (Happy Birthday to the Queen!) the weather was still not cooperating but we didn't mind and headed to the Wellington Zoo! We had a fun afternoon watching shows and seeing animals that aren't in zoos back home. My favorites were the Sun Bears and Red Pandas. So cute! Also, I FINALLY saw my first Kiwi. The zoo keeps them in a dark building, dimly lit with red lights since they are nocturnal birds. I was so excited! Haha. They even had a one legged Kiwi which was kind of sad to watch it hop around. And the zoo put crutches in the exhibit...I didn't think that was a very funny joke.
Entrance to the zoo
The Sun Bear!
Giraffes, my favorite, hiding from the rain
Momma and baby monkey
King of the rock
They had these signs all over the zoo. They were very blunt and hilarious
Kind of hard to see but the rare Red Panda
On our last day, Tuesday, we decided to explore more of downtown Wellington and the "Parliamentary" area. Went went to see their famous beehive building that houses the Cabinet rooms and the Prime Minister's offices. We were a little intimidated by all the people wandering around in suits. No sign of John Key though (NZ's Prime Minister) After some pictures and wandering around we walked back through the city to do some shopping and stopped for a coffee.
View from the wharf
War Memorial outside the Beehive
There it is!
The Queen touched this building...whooaaa haha
Suzanne and I posing by Parliament!
We were sad to realize this was our last adventure in New Zealand and we wouldn't be traveling together again. :( Soon it was time to catch a plane back to Christchurch where we were staying for the night. As always, it was surreal being back in Christchurch, passing our old home, university and city. There were still signs of the earthquake all around and we didn't like to think about that sad day in February. The next morning we had to catch a bus bright and early back to Dunedin. Now that I'm back I have 2 weeks to study/take finals and pack! The thought of packing freaks me out a little. I know my last few days here and going to fly by. Soon I'll be waving goodbye to New Zealand and heellooooo to Fiji! I cannot wait to get out of winter and see the sun, get tan, and sleep in a hammock with a tropical drink in hand. It's definitely the light at the end of the tunnel. And then I'll be back home in California. Ah! Bittersweet feelings.
Like I said, I'll try and update before I leave for Fiji but I'm not sure how busy I'll be studying between now and then. I finish my last final, literally, the night before I leave early the next morning. I will try and think of some inspiring, closing last post. I really hope you all have enjoyed reading about my adventures. If I don't post again in New Zealand, the next time you read this I will be home in California bragging about my amazing time in Fiji. Woo! Bye bye :)
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