Living the retirement dream

We are sharing our ideal retirement experiences.

Wellington #2

Our initial plan for New Zealand had been to spend 3 ½ weeks with Helen and Sue and then travel to the South Island on January 2-12. Unfortunately Jim failed to book things far enough in advance for the New Zealand summer season. He was able to book the ferry from Wellington to Picton return but was unable to find any availability for a car hire in Picton or its environs. Everything was sold out. We did find one car in Masterton and rented it for a month but opted to stay on the north island.

We liked Wellington enough that we wanted to return for another few days. We couldn’t find the perfect Airbnb so opted for a suite in the Hotel Intercontinental.
We had a lovely room with this window view.
Sandy wanted to get some Maori Greenstone (Pounamu) to bring back as gifts. It is harvested by Maori people from rivers in the South Island. She went to a Maori store as they are the only ones authorized to sell it. Also known as Maori Jade it is a very important and spiritual treasure to the Maori tribe and is given with love as a very special gift securing a bond between those people and passed on as an heirloom. Traditionally you should wear it first before gifting it, to insure all your good wishes and intents go with it.
After shopping we went back to the Te Papa Museum to explore and learn more about New Zealand.
Beautiful lobby
Maori forest wood is used for boats and oars.
In the Maori world, the first woman was formed from clay transformed by fire. This work symbolizes the strength of its women who have to overcome trauma in order to pass on the Maori heritage to future generations.
A Maori boat or waka is a traditional Polynesian canoe. These impressive vessels are often built from the wood of large native trees.
The waka is used for combat and ceremonial purposes, representing deep cultural heritage for the indigenous people of New Zealand.
A friend of ours connected us to a girl he went to Bates College with who lives in Wellington. So we got together for brunch and really enjoyed talking to them about travel. They gave us some great recommendations of things to do while we were here. Pictured with us is Allison and Michael.
This is the Kiwis don’t walk signal which is a Maori doing the Haka dance.
We took a long uphill walk to see a Monastery. This was a stately home we passed on the way.
Saint Gerard Monastery is an iconic landmark in Wellington on Mt Victoria. It overlooks the city and harbor. It is currently closed for earthquake strengthening and awaiting its next chapter after being sold and probably will be renovated into a hotel.
Views from the Monastery.
The couple we met for brunch ( Allison and Michael) recommended this Eastern Walkway- Tarakena Bay tramp (aka hike).
The track is 2.5 km long and takes 1.5 hours to complete.
The surface is mainly gravel track and stairs.
We were rewarded with sweeping views over the south coast Miramar Peninsula.
We came across this monument which is in honor of the soldiers who died in Gallipoli. It lovingly states that the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries are now lying in our bosom and have become our sons as well.
It was quite steep and sharp drop offs but the switch back design made the assent easier.
Wellington airport which we could see from the top of the ridge.
We slowed down but alas never saw any penguins.
Again because of Allison and Michael’s suggestion we took a tour of the Weta Workshop
The tour allows you to step behind the scenes and explore a world of creativity, physical effects and movie magic.
The crew has brought to life beloved characters and epic special effects for iconic blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar and Black Panther. It was fascinating even though we did not see most of these films.
This video although long shows the winding road we had to take back to Greytown over the Rumutaka Hill. Notice the higher than usual guardrails. That is because so many vehicles go over the edge and plunge down a very steep slope to the gorge below. Severe winds can even blow high sided vehicles over the lower guardrails.

We really enjoyed Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. It is a hilly, windy colonial waterfront city that we would highly recommend visiting next time you are in New Zealand.

Living our retirement dream

One response to “Wellington #2”

  1. LucyDuffy Avatar
    LucyDuffy

    Wonderful, as always! Your travels and explorations excite my day.
    Love, Lucy

    Reply

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