I opened my eyes to the sound of the wind passing over the wings of the giant eagle that we rode onto our approach to Wellington. I wondered what it would of been like to actually be on a giant eagle like in the movies but for now I was crammed into a tiny seat safely inside a plane. Once we passed the long blue streak of ocean that linked Australia to New Zealand I found myself drawn to all the little islands that poked their little heads from beneath. This was the first we have travelled to the land of the rolling hills during the day and could actually see its beauty. The water turned to green and a civilisation started to appear with the beauty remaining. I've always loved that feeling of traveling to an unfamiliar place and exploring at your own pace and luckily for us we would have that chance this visit.
The plan was to fly into Wellington and spend a two nights with the family before roading tripping to Auckland for a few nights and returning again to Wellington and flying home. For the first instalment of the adventure we will cover our first days in Wellington and the surrounding areas of The Hutt Valley.
So to my best of knowledge there are a handful of towns that fall under the Hutt Valley. The ones that we have visited are Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Silverstream, Stokes Valley and Petone.
Our main hideaway when we are in NZ is with our friendly relatives in their amazing home which is located high in Stokes Valley. Truth be told the valley is a little outdated with very little to do, but the greenery that surrounds it is pretty amazing. Homes are nested along the lower edge of hills that are covered from head to toe in natural shades of beauty. It is truely a nice place to be when the sun goes down and the native birds slowly bring their daily songs to an end. There isn't a total lot to do like I stated but a casual walk down to the local dairy can be quite rewarding when you find a favourite kiwi treat to snack on.
On our second day in the Land of the long white cloud we wanted to peruse the local shops of Petone (pet-o-nee) for some local treasures. I was personally shopping for a nice Tiger Eye necklace. So we googled a gem store and followed the directions and accidentally found ourselves parking right out front the store on Jackson Street. The crystal people had a great variety of crystals and gemstones, ranging from tumbled pieces to jewelry. I was lucky enough to find what I was looking for and walked away with what I feel was the perfect piece.
Petone is a lovely little town that is found on the Northern shore of Wellington harbour. The town itself is of reasonable size but if you want the one place to be I recommend the Jackson Street experience. It is walking distance from end to end but has a nice mixture of restaurants, cafes and historical colonial style buildings that tell the history of era gone. Some mentional places are The Crystal People, Cats Galore and Lone Star.
Another mention goes out to the Petone water spring that is situated on Buick St which is just of Jackson street. Fresh water from Hutt River is gathered and put through an artesian aquifer and then available for everyone at this location. The water is clean and chemical free which everyone travels to collect on what ever container they have. Lucky for us the line was short and we filled our water bottles for a great thirst quench. This was a great way to end our stay on Petone and travel onto Wellington cbd.
So if your unfamiliar with Wellington and you plan to go there I can give you one bit of advice, always pack for cold windy conditions. If you want to wear your summer loving attire on the plane that's fine but as soon as you can at least slip into your jeans and a hoodie because you might regret it after your first step out of the airport.
Wellington is the third capital city of New Zealand and now is the base of parliament. When you really look into it, Wellington is similar to other large tourist cities. You can break it down into certain sections which allows you to decide where you want and don't want to go.
We had the opportunity to venture into Te Papa the museum of New Zealand which has many fantastic exhibits. The best part of Te Papa is that it is a free attraction and you can park your vehicles underneath for a reasonable cost so you can venture along the waterfront afterwards. At the time of our visit 'Gallipoli: the scale of our war' was available to see which was quite moving. It covered the untold stories of certain men and women who contributed their actions and ultimately shaped the battle into what we know today. Weta workshop helped produce the amazing giant sized models of said people. The way that they combined all the aspects of media together made this exhibit very informative and moving. I highly recommend that if you visit Wellington between now and April 2018 that you take the time to visit this exhibit.
With our car parked at Te Papa we went for a nice stroll down the waterfront which is spotted with quite a few points of interest. A yacht club, cafes and a diving platform if you dare to go swimming in the water. I personally didn't because it was a very cold windy day, which is pretty common from what I have experienced in Wellington. After a tenon ute walk from Te Papa we found a nice little cafe beside the Yacht club which offered us not only shelter from the freezing winds but great snack platters, coffees and service.
After our bit of off our feet time we returned to our car and headed back to head quarters in Stokes Valley. The night was short for us as we had to leave for Auckland via road before sunrise. A huge drive along the asphalt that snakes it's way through the country side. I was a first timer for the drive where my wife had done it many years ago as a younger girl. I was excited to what experiences we had in store for us.
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