A month in New Zealand

  Wed 5 Mar 2025 We fly out tomorrow, so we've had some last moments strolling around Wynyard marina near where we were staying. We did notice that there were various painted sculptures of Kiwis around, much like Bristol has had with Gromits and Gorillas.

Tue 4 Mar 2025 After a lazier start, thinking about heading to packing down for our flight in a couple of days, we strolled the slightly more bohemian K Road end of the city. We had a coffee in the Kelvin Arcade which had lovely views overlooking the Myers Park and the Sky Tower. We then went out for possibly the best and most flavoursome meal at Java, an Indonesian restaurant. You can find excellent Southeast Asian here in Auckland - we ate SO MUCH!  

Mon 3 Mar 2025 In the morning, we strolled over to the Sky Tower for views across Auckland. There is a platform where you can stand on thick glass with nothing below you - Bert and Ernie feared they were falling to the ground. During the afternoon, we headed by bus along the lovely Tamaki Drive. En route, we got view across to Auckland before arriving at Mission Bay beach for what is likely to be our final seaside swim of the holiday. We also made sure we went to the fresh fish and seafood market around the corner from the apartment, and made ourselves a meal using scallops and giant prawns.  

Sun 2 Mar 2025 Today we said goodbye to Wellington and took the scenic "luxury" Northern Explorer train to Auckland. Unfortunately, the kitchen carriage had broken down, so the experience wasn't quite what it should have been though the approach of the service staff rescued the experience somewhat.

Sat 1 Mar 2025 Wellington, the capital city, has a faster pace of life than we've been used to. It's not as new and fresh feeling as other places we've been to, though there was a brand new looking St Mary of the Angels church. There was also a dragon boat race on today that made us think of Bristol.  We spent the morning at The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum. The exhibits about the Māori people, other original indigenous peoples of the pacific region, and the history of their journeys, were very enlightening. There were also some beautifully carved artefacts.  In the afternoon, we went to see the Wētā Workshop who make props, prosthetics and models for big budget movies such as Lord of the Rings and Avatar. Some items are even made from kitchen foil and then the final layer completed afterwards. Activities included handling hobbit feet and big guns.

Fri 28 Feb 2025 Today we boarded the scenic Coastal Pacific train to Picton, where we will retrace our ferry ride back to Wellington on North Island. This included some pink salt lakes (salterns). So it was goodbye to Kaikōura, which had been a very nice town to stay in.