Windy Wellington

What to tell you about my first visit to New Zealand’s national capital? It’s not unlike our national capital in that it’s a nice small city that has a lot to offer, considering its size. Although I think it’s a wee bit more happening than Ottawa in a few respects, I did notice that the downtown area turned into a ghost town and all the shops closed up around there after 6 PM – that’s exactly like Ottawa! lol! They have the museums there, Parliament (unlike Ottawa they do not have a miniature replica of GB’s parliament buildings – they decided to go with something they call the Beehive), a pedestrian street lined with shops. The city is wonderfully walk-able. It’s quite compact, as those who built it had to contend with the large rolling hills, so all the houses are built up into the hills from the coast. It’s very nice that way. Although it can be very windy and cooler than up north, the photo I put here is from Monday (Labour Day holiday) at the beach at Oriental Parade - it was a nice day! The people there are quite nice – the bus drivers are friendly. I was also put in touch with someone there this summer when I was finalizing my NZ plans. My friend Shannon got me in touch with Lauren, a Kiwi friend of a friend whom she’d met in Canada this summer. So Lauren has been showing me around Wellington, being a wonderful host and ambassador of the city, as well as a much needed resource for my flat search. Flights around NZ are actually reasonable. If you are traveling solo, it will cost near the same amount as it would to take the bus for a distance like Auckland to Wellington, and definitely less than it would cost to hire a car and drive it (petrol is expensive over here). You might notice I’m picking up some Kiwi terminology for things (hiring stuff, and petrol). It’s important to get the expressions down to people understand me – although most of the time they do. It’s me who has much to learn. ;)

Wellington is at the south end of the north island, and being on the coast, it’s windy and much cooler than up north. They don’t call it Windy Wellington for nothing. The funny thing is – it’s the one place in the country where I’ve been able to find the most organized cycling. I have certainly seen some small groups (4 or less) of cyclists in and around Auckland, but in Wellington I’ve found the networks and teams that run through the shops like at home. I visited one shop that I was interested in before I came here. They were super helpful and made sure I knew when to come out for various group rides. I am so looking forward to getting on the bike soon!! The wind and the hills, though challenging, are sure to make me stronger. We don’t have stuff like this at home. If it’s too windy to do the flatter ride around the bays, they head for shelter in the hills. Either way – you’ll get a good workout. So this is my main impetus for choosing a windy, cooler place to settle. Combine that with it being easy to get around without a car, it has a nice vibe to it, and it’s well positioned for the rest of my travels south and off-continent. I’m still in the thick of my flat search. Wish me luck! I’ll post when I have more new things (and hopefully a place to call home for most of the remainder of my stay) to fill you all in on.