From North to South

I woke up in Wellington and immediately began roaming the city. My hotel was right by the water, so I spent a while wandering around the docks and the waterfront. Then, I stumbled onto the parliament building. Wellington is the capitol of New Zealand, and its parliament bulding looks like a bee hive. It has been earthquake-proofed since much of New Zealand is earthquake-prone. Although I hadn’t made a reservation, travelling alone comes with benefits, and I was able to squeeze onto a tour of the building, which was an awesome addition to my plans for the day. I was able to see various government rooms and learn a bit more about how New Zealand politics worked.

It was, more than most, a “stumble upon” day. From the capitol, I’d heard a few people talking about some Lord of the Rings stuff in Wellington, so I drove to the Weta Workshop, which is where many of the costumes and prosthetics for the various creatures in Lord of the Rings were created. It was another pleasant surprise for the day. I got to see some of the costumes and the process the artists had gone through.

After the workshop, I went on a short walk trying to find the waterfront on this side of the city. It proved much more difficult than anticipated, and I don’t think the path actually went down to the water, but it was a nice walk regardless. After the walk and grabbing a quick lunch, I headed off to the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, the national museum. I saw a number of really cool exhibits, including one about WWI with figures created by the Weta Workshop. I walked around the waterfront a bit more before heading up the Wellington Cable Car to catch sunset above the city. I wandered the botanic gardens, looked down on Victoria University of Wellington, and took in a Lord of the Rings exhibit before heading back downhill.

At the bottom, I again stumbled on some luck. I was there during a festival for the Maori New Year, Matariki Puanga. I was able to catch some Haka performances, see some light shows, and hear some singing as part of a beautiful celebration of the Maori culture and traditions.

The next morning, I got up bright and early to catch the ferry across the Strait to the South Island. The ferry was around four hours and an adventure in and of itself, watching one cost disappear and another appear in the distance.

Once I landed on the South Island around midday, I had my longest drive of the trip. I’d never driven almost six hours before, but as preparation for the four hour drive to and from East Lansing from Chicago, I was definitely willing to try it. Thankfully, I was able to entertain myself with music, podcasts, calls with my mom and friends, and the absolutely stunning view from the coastal highway. I stopped along the water numerous times, viewing seals, waterfalls, and scenic ocean views. I finally made it to my hotel in Christchurch after dark and after grabbing a quick dinner, I was off to bed.

Christchurch was the end of a line of cities I had visited and the gateway to a few days of nature. I eased into the nature by visiting the Botanic Gardens, which had a well-known sculpture and a lot of nice vegetation despite it being winter in the country. After leaving the gardens, I walked around the city for a bit, dropping by an old-town strip of stores. Christchurch had been rocked by a bad earthquake in 2011, and there were still remnants in the city as a large cathedral was still very much in the process of being rebuilt. I was also able to stop into the transitional cathedral, which had been built using shipping containers and recyclables to fill in after the cathedral’s damage. I stumbled in at the end of mass and was welcomed in. Some of the parishioners took the time to talk with me after mass was over and explain what the church meant to them and how proud they were of their community’s resilence.

I left the city and headed to my next destination, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The drive was, again, beautiful. I stopped at a small church on the water and got a chance to spread my legs a bit before reaching the mountains right before nightfall.