Sunday, 18 December 2011

Wellington 14/12/11-16/12/11

Wellington - our 1st taster of the North island! The ferry ride which takes you between the islands should have been 3 hours of amazing scenery but instead the rain and dark clouds had other ideas... Sad to leave the South island as it really was an amazing place, with Queenstown probably being the pick of the places.

The ferry docked at 2pm right by one of NZ's rugby world cup stadiums and we were off straight into town to find our hostel. Turned out to be a good choice as we had dinner thrown in for free both nights! We spent our 1st night in a few bars with the couple we'd travelled up with from Queenstown.



The next day the rain was still coming down but we decided to brave a day trip out somewhere rather than just moping around the hostel. We went for the Adrenaline Forest in Porirua. It involved a 20 minute train journey out of town and then a 20 minute walk into the forest - all of your own back with hardly any signs directing you. It was tipping it down - Jenna did not looked amused. The site is based in the middle of a forest and is basically a series of tracks up in the trees which you work your way around, at all times harnessed up. Supposedly it's similar to the ones we have at home but geared up more for adults, the 30 meter high wires did make my legs wobble a bit to be fair!

Jenna being Jenna is typically more concerned with waving at the camera on one of the zip wires to notice that she is coming in a little too fast. It ends with her suddenly noticing her left hand should be on top of the wire acting as a brake and crashing into the crash mat a little too hard! We do have a video but are having a few issues uploading it so hopefully we will be able to at a later date, very glad I chose to video that moment though!!

Back at the hostel we bumped into the Manchester girls from Queenstown and had a few drinks in the hostel bar with the same couple from the previous night as well. Then the karaoke started up which I guess it what Jennas was leading onto with her last post. Now I don't normally bow to peer pressure..... but I was 'encouraged' to sing a song. Not my cup of tea as you can probably guess, but as one friend back home told me before I left, 'come back with no regrets'... and so I stepped up to the mic. I went for 'Pulp - Common People'.... Jarvis Cocker is my type of singer - he sort of manages to talk his way through the song with only the very occasional high and low notes - perfect. Supposedly it wasn't too bad and the whole place (well all 15 people or so) joined in with the grand finale which that song has!

And so that was Wellington.... wet, windy but still well worth a visit!

3 comments:

  1. Brilliant choice of song ! I'd love to have seen that - did you manage to get any of the
    Jarvis moves in !?

    Sounds like you're having a great time.

    Dad
    x

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  2. Karaoke wasn't what I had in mind when making that declaration but nevermind :) Sounds like you pair are having a top time. Did you get to raft the Rangitata at all? Up there for me as one of the best thigs I've ever done. UTC! x

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  3. Dad - no moves that I'm aware of!

    Mark - no we did the white water rafting in Rotorua on the Kaituna river - did a grade 5 with a 7m waterfall!

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