Wellington

-The old Observatory in the Wellington Botanical Gardens.-

While being the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington is so much cooler than just that. Wellington for us has been the best stop yet and Wellington is where we've been laying low for the past few days.

-New fern leaves unfolding (The national symbol of New Zealand).-

-The cable car from city center to the Wellington Botanical Gardens.-

So far on our trip we've found the tiny country of New Zealand to be excessively expensive (And that's really saying something coming from two years in Seoul, one of the most expensive cities in the world). So it's here in Wellington that we are really learning what it means to budget. We are staying in hostels every night, the three of us crammed into one room. We're cooking all our own dinners, each person takes a night for a meal and must make the dinner for under 20 New Zealand dollars. We are also looking for free activities to take part in during the days.

-Wellington is a beautiful harbour city.-

-Trev on a crazy Eucalyptus swing on Mt. Victoria, the shooting location of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.-

So far on our three full days in the city we've walked a ton, exploring the city has been a great way to get to know New Zealand and her people. We've explored the mountain, Mt. Victoria, where Peter Jackson did a fair bit of his filming for the Lord of the Rings. I walked all over the mountain thinking of Mom Andrus and Auntie Wanda and wondering how much fun they would be having spying for famous backdrops from their favorite trilogy.

-The federal Parliament buildings.-

-Trev and I after our tantalizing session in parliament.-

Other activities have included a fun filled day sitting in a session of their federal Parliament. We watched Helen Clark, the Prime Minister (yes that's right they have a female leader) try to dig herself out of some scandal.

-Wellington harbour poetry.-

-Jess and I learning about swinging bridges at Te Papa (New Zealand's National Museum).-

We've visited their world famous museum, Te Papa (Our Place), to learn more on the tectonic activity that was responsible for the formation and the on going creation of New Zealand. At the museum we were also taken by the information on the Maori people (the people indigenous to New Zealand), their way of life and their culture that makes them so unique.

-We rode our bikes all the way to Princess Bay, a marine reserve.-

Today we hopped on bikes and followed the coastline as far as our legs could take us. It was a great way to explore the city that was beyond walking distance. While we enjoyed the wind at our backs on the way out, it was hard work peddling against the strong winds of the Cook Straight all the way back to city center and our make-shift home.

-Trev climbing rocks. What else is new?-

-Spring time in New Zealand.-