Windy Wellington

It's been five days since Josh and I arrived in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and boy it's been great! I can honestly say this is the coolest, most vibrant capital city I've been to (albeit the smallest-- with a population of 200,000).

What makes it great? Tons of eclectic cafes and bars, really walkable, lots of free museums, better weather than the South Island, and very friendly people. We're really enjoying ourselves so far, although the job hunt does get frustrating. And parking is a nightmare, but that's any city...

Here's the Wikipedia synopsis of the city, just as an overview: "Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, sits near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait. A compact city, it encompasses a waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbour and colourful timber houses on surrounding hills. Though sunny and mild most of the year, strong winter winds through the Cook Strait give it the nickname Windy Wellington." 



And windy it is! It's the southern hemisphere equivalent to Chicago, although I must admit I've never actually been to Chicago. Compared to Washington DC, it's less historic, more compact, has a beautiful harbour, and way more cool cafes and bars in a 20-minute radius. And it's so hilly-- it's like San Francisco with its steep, narrow side-streets. We cheer for our van each time we make it up a monster hill.



Anyway, the job hunt is going well so far. Josh and I both have interviews lined up, so hopefully we'll be employed before the Queen's Birthday holiday (June 1st). Until then, we're spending some time getting to know the city and hanging out with a friend from Sydney. Things are definitely looking up! Have a great rest of your weekend...

// lake tekapo //

Supervention Soundtrack

Queen Charlotte Sounds

Okay, so I'm finally trying to update my blog a little more regularly...

Currently, Josh and I are in a place called Picton, which is at the top right of the South Island.

It's a very small town, but the surrounding areas are so beautiful. Last night we watched the sun set over the town from a scenic viewpoint... it was nice to finally see the sun for a little while! (For the past week we have had non-stop downpours with zero sun). Just north of Picton is an area called the Queen Charlotte Sounds, which is a collection of hundreds of little inlets around a bay. Although driving the road that leads there is pretty nerve-wracking, we're glad we did it.

Picton is also the place to catch a ferry across the Cook Strait, which is the area between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. And it costs a pretty penny... for the van and two people it'll cost almost $300 NZD. Yikes!

Anyway, here are a few more pictures from our adventures...

^ Mirrored lake near Franz Josef Glacier

^ Accomplishing the tricky "DSLR Selfie"

^ Driving past Lake Hawea, near Wanaka

^ Waterfalls everywhere along the Haast Highway

^ One of my favourite birds here- this is the Fantail

Lindi's Pass, South Island, NZ

Posting from Franz Joseph, NZ

Hello, all! Currently I am in a place called Franz Joseph, New Zealand. It's on the West Coast of the South Island in a province called Westland... and home to the Franz Joseph Glacier. We are actually in a UNESCO World Heritage Area, as the Southern Alps meet lush rainforest meets the sea. It's a really geologically diverse place, to say the least. I just wish it would stop raining! It's been pouring for the past few days, and the 10-day forecast predicts nothing but showers and heavy downpours. :(

So, I have yet to see the glacier, but until then I am holed up in a pretty awesome hostel. Free unlimited wi-fi, free pastries and soup in the evenings, and then free breakfast in the morning. A nice break from living out of a campervan for the past 6 weeks, that's for sure!

Last week Josh and I were in Queenstown, which is supposedly the "Adventure Capital of the World"... which is complete crap in my opinion. They really stuff it down your throats there- everything is named something ridiculous like "Adventure this" or "Extreme that". You can't walk anywhere in that congested little town without being almost-hit by angry speeding drivers, probably on their way to a bungy jump. Totally not a relaxing place to be.

The town attracts quite an interesting crowd of adventure seekers, mostly (in my opinion) the ones who just want cool pictures of them looking adventurous and extreme for their Facebook profile pictures and Instagram feeds. I even had my iPhone stolen in the Queenstown Public Library by a backpacker. Yes- the librarian did see it happen. No- she didn't do or say anything because she "thought it might be his." And no- the library doesn't have close circuit cameras, so they couldn't give me a more detailed description of the guy other than "tall" and "barefooted". :(

We did meet some awesome people at our hostel, though. There were three British 22-year olds, Huw, Ryan, and Declan (all friends from back home), who were a hoot to hang out with. Really down to earth, hilarious guys who had loads of funny travel stories to share... as they just finished up traveling through Southeast Asia together. Josh and I were really glad to have met them.

The areas surrounding Queenstown are absolutely stunning. We stopped so many times during hikes and drives just to take in the beautiful scenery. We spent some time visiting Mt. Aspiring National Park, Lake Sylvan, Kinloch, and Paradise. Below are a few pictures of our 4 day exploration:

After Queenstown, we visited Wanaka, which is my favourite place in New Zealand so far. Similar to Queenstown, but much smaller and laid-back. Josh and I really enjoyed our time there. After Wanaka we took the Haast Highway to Haast, and then drove north up to Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph Glacier. It's been raining non-stop since we left Wanaka, so it's been difficult to live out of a campervan... hence why we're now at a backpackers. :)

I am currently uploading heaps of photos to Flickr, so feel free to check them out! I will try to do a better job updating this blog, but of course that's entirely dependent on having internet.

x