WellingtonNZ.com
In December I've booked this hostel for the first two nights. And I'm just glad I've done that on time. In December I didn't know how long I wanted to stay in Wellington. Maybe I was thinking that it is a very big city and I might prefer to start in a nice quiet town along the Tasman Sea, like Plimmerton or Paraparaumu. Further I had no idea in how many days I want to travel north to Auckland to meet the group on February the 8th. No idea of the distances and if it will be best to travel in pieces of 2 hours or stay somewhere more than 2 days.
But it turned out that booking in advance was necessary. After the first two nights it was impossible to get a room for the weekend, because of a major rugby event (Sevens).
I've seen a lot of people, dressed in rugby shirts (the players) and a lot of people dressed in costumes (the audience), like Mexicans, angels with wings, funny men in white suits who are hugging everyone they see, nurses, and even someone in a diaper. This seemed quite uncomfortable in the hot sun, all that plastic and no protection from the sun. My face has got some colour, so I have to wear my hat or find one, that is more Kiwi-style, not like Crocodile Dundee or an American tourist.
advertentie uit tijdschrift hier in voegen.
The atmosphere was quite relaxed in Wellington, people walking on flipflops or even bare feet, having a picknick in the park of the Parliament. A nice first impression of this country.
On Wednesday my first afternoon in Wellington I've walked a lot, but everything is quite close to each other and there are some nice benches along the bay and in the park of the parliament. I've visited the City gallery and arranged transport and accommodation in Palmerston North for Friday.
On Thursday I've seen Wellington from a big hill (going up by cable car, down by foot , walking in a beautiful Botanic garden. I'm glad hayfever season is over here. And I've done a short trip with a boat in the harbour of Wellington, so this gives a good impression of the city. A lot of tall modern buildings, and also some 19th century buildings, that look a bit like in the UK, only the weather is better. And because there is nothing I have to do, it doesn't matter where I end up, because every street is interesting to get an idea of Kiwi life.
My hostel is a former hotel and Queen Elisabeth has stayed here a long time ago (1953), but I suppose her room was bigger than mine, although I was really content with my single room with television and a shared bathroom. It's located next to the railwaystation. In the evening I have visited the Te Papa Museum. This is enormous and has different exhibitions, about the earth, eartquakes, animals, Maori history, Pacific islands and immigration.
 |
| 30/1 - 1/2 Wellington |
No comments:
Post a Comment