Wellington: The First Trip Through

We reached the half-way point in our circuit around the North Island with a stop in Wellington. The primary purpose for this stop was to secure visas for China. (The rather strange loop that we are taking around the country is due to this task. We have definitely gotten off of the typical tourist path.) Securing the visas was incredibly easy. We were at the PRC embassy before it opened because we had read horror stories about applying for visas. Once the doors opened, we were in and out in about ten minutes. So much for devoting a whole morning to waiting in line. We were quite happy with the experience...

But it was pouring outside and we hadn't really made much of a plan for how to spend our day. So we tried to get lost. This is harder to do than we anticipated. Wellington is located in a harbor. The town stretches along one side of the harbor and up into the valleys that drop down into it. It is a lovely city with many short streets that end quickly and many long curving streets that wind up the hills. It is hard to get lost because many of the streets dead end or curve back in such a way that you can see where you started from. We spent the morning cruising through various neighborhoods, not ever getting truly lost. We felt at home in Wellington. Be it the excellent coffee, the hip little neighborhoods, the hillside location, or the pouring rain, it felt a bit like Seattle.

We return to Wellington after Christmas to see the sights and pick up our visas. I particularly look forward to the Te Papa museum and the Botanic Gardens (conveniently located across from the Chinese embassy). We will take lots of pictures then.