Hey all,
After departing our unforgettable time at OPC (thank you again to Mark and Ken,) we returned to the Extreme Backpackers Hostel for the night. Many of us chose to do laundry, connect with family and friends on the internet, watch episodes of friends, roam around Turangi, play Bananagrams (a variation of scrabble,) and make dinner in the hostels kitchen. Not surprisingly, we were all fairly worn out from our 2 day excursion, so it was a relatively early night and subsequently early morning.
Our bus picked us up a short distance from the hostel around 10:45 for a 6 hour ride to Wellington. A few short stops were made along the way, and once we neared the city a breathtaking view of the ocean popped up out of nowhere, and just like that we arrived in Wellington. While we waited for our transportation- which was 30 minutes late- Lucy tirelessly tried to find out what was going on and I managed to scrape up my thighs from climbing in the trees like a small child. Finally, our second bus arrived and Lucy was able to get us 30 dollars off the original price! And that ain't easy with the taxi drivers here, props to Lucy for that. The hostel we were staying at was quite lovely. Internet was cheap, fun energy with all the international travelers, right in the dead center of the city, and friendly staff. The only downside was the beds, where the braces underneath the mattress moved as you tried to find your perfect sleeping postition. On another note, Sunday evening we had our weekly group meeting (Debrief of each of our roles, and FGAA's [Feelings, Goals, Accomplishments, Affirmations.]) Much of our feelings and accomplishments as you may imagine were focused on hiking two difficult summits in 3 days. With that, we headed off to bed and prepared to make the most out of our 3 days in beautiful Wellington.
Having only 2 full days for ourselves, the group branched off and visited the Te Papa museum (New Zealands national museum,) explored the local cafes and restaurants, walked along the waterfront, went to movies at the renowned Wellington cinemas, went on Lord of the Rings tours, mountain biked through the Makara peak trails, and had more one-on-ones with eachother. And with that, a few of the group members favorite part of Wellington is as follows:
Lucy- She most enjoyed her mint chocolate chip gelato with Christine& chinese takeout on the waterfront with Hannah.
Gordon- He really enjoyed the overall vibe from the city. Some much needed shopping was accomplished, followed by a fresh cut, and lunch in the afternoon. Next, he and Hannah were able to sneak dinner into a movie, followed by a sprint home to make curfew.
Dylan- I really enjoyed browsing the local restaurants, and my mountain biking experience at the Makara peaks made me really miss biking. Oh yes and jumping in the freezing bay with a few guys I met on the boardwalk
David- Having been to many places in New Zealand already, David found himself most at home and comfortable in Wellington. A place where he could see himself appreciating and taking advantage of everything it has to offer. And of course, the sushi.
Emily- Of all things, a stingray popped up right in front of her eyes in the shallow waters of the bay. Additionally, talking to mom and dad for the first time in almost 2 months felt very good
Karen- Karen enjoyed walking along the coastline of the city center; people watching the healthy buzz of runners, visiting the Wellington Art Gallery, and hiking the Redrocks Caost with Cliff
Cliff- With his forte of rock climbing, he enjoyed the reachy rock gyms, dingy basement bar-games that are a healthy reminder of why we don't drink on this trip, the rugged coastline, Malaysian food which is a new cuisine for him, and his old favorite- medicore movies
The rest will follow once I post another update after our Routeburn Track expedition! Many photos and fun stories will follow
Sincerely,
Dylan Stokes
