Travel Day

Today (Sunday here) was a boring day.  We rose early and ate breakfast, then headed to Picton (a Northern point on the South island) to take the three+ hour ferry to Wellington (the capital of New Zealand).  We got to our hostel and, after reminding them that we needed a cot and asking them to replace the bathroom light that had burned out, Randy walked to Dominos for pizzas for dinner (combined with the fruit we bought earlier).  Wellington is known for Lord of the Rings sites because many of the scenes were filmed near here (though Hobbiton is near Aukland where they are casting and doing preproduction for The Hobbit).  Also, the WETA workshop is here; we will go to the WETA Cave tomorrow--it has displays of some of their movies and has a gift shop--Annie is hoping to get a ring--a copy of The Ring.  

The ferry is quite large with eight floors with many lounges, several cafes, a cinema, a nightclub, and a children’s playground.  Also, many decks for cars and semis.  Some of the lounges are “reclining lounges” which seem to have old airplane seats that recline when you pull a lever.  I want a foot rest too!  Give me a Barcalounger to recline in! 

New Zealand is an interesting mixture of English and Maori culture and other mixtures as well.  I’ve mentioned the topography and differences in climate; but it also shows up in names;  The cities of Westport and Summerlea are next to the cities of Waimangaroa and Ngakawau.  The Maori people and their culture seems to be accepted and celebrated here, unlike the native peoples of most other countries when they were invaded and settled by others (most noticeably the English).   In one small town we saw a monument to commemorate the coronation of Richard II in England.    There are sheep grazing everywhere and there are cows as well.  Much of the island is owned by the Parks Department.  They are very well maintained and laid out.  Everything retains its Maori name with signs explaining some of the Maori stories associated with the areas as well as translations of the names they have given the area and some of the features and animals and plants. 

Our current hostel is quite large but has a small kitchen so there is not much hope of coming up with creative meals with so many other people trying to do the same thing.  The hostel in Franz Josef Glacier had a very large workable kitchen as did our last hostel in Mapua (though it was just us in the space!).  The children have explored the hostel and found the games room, the movie room, and the laundry as well as the Terrace lounge on the sixth floor.  No real photos today--mostly a driving and ferry day.