Today's my last day in New Zealand and it's raining...oh well 7/8 good days is enough for me. Wellington is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, being the capital and all, but most of the fun stuff can be done in a day. Yesterday I went to the Wellington underground market which had a bunch of jewelry shops, clothes shops, and food carts. I got myself a ring, my mom earrings, and a necklace for Amy. After walking around the coast, I grabbed takeaway from a little shop; I got an American hotdog. There was nothing American about it. It was on a roll, and was more of a sausage than a hotdog, still good, but nothing like home. In my info on Wellington, I kept seeing things about Te Papa museum, so I went. It shows the creation of New Zealand and what it looked like before inhabitants, then when the Maori came, and finally when the European settlers came. It gave an overview of items and rituals that the Maori hold sacred and how they built their boats and shelters, it was really interesting. I happened to go on a day that the New Zealand orchestra was there so I listened to them as I got lost in the museum, it was lovely. Two fun facts I learned while I was there: the meaning behind the ferns and one design I keep seeing everywhere...which is also related to ferns. So the silver fern, which is a symbol of New Zealand, was chosen because in the night, the Maori would lay them down their path as they went into battle. The moon would hit the silver ferns and illuminate them, showing the warriors the way home from war. And yes the ferns are actually silver, I saw them zip lining. The other has to do with how new fern branches grow. The buds start out coiled up and as they grow they begin to unravel. Think of a spiral, or a nautilus shell design, very similar to that. The spiral of the fern symbolizes new live/new beginnings, which is pretty cool. I got a necklace with the design and one of the ornaments I bought is the spiral. They also have hooks and other designs that have meanings, but for some reason I really like the spiral the best, probably because it looks and reminds me a lot of kappa delta's nautilius shell and meaning. Once I left the museum, I went over to Cuba street which is where all the shops are. I got two tank tops, so semi replace the two I accidentally dyed red when doing my laundry. Betty will work her magic and help me take the red tint out of my clothes once I'm back home, but now I have enough clothes to get through the week again...stupid red jeans. I returned home and kinda hung out, Wellington is incredibly windy and I wasn't in the mood to battle the elements. I took a recommendation for dinner and went to Monsoon Poon...don't worry I took a picture of it because I couldn't stop laughing like the 5 year old that I am. It was so good! Pretty sure I ate my body weight in naan and wasn't even mad about it. Then I settled in watching American Dad and South Park since I had to be up early the next morning.
I woke up at 5:45am today, voluntarily. You see, today was the World Cup (women's) draw to see what cities and opponents the US plays. So I skyped in with Maggie in Ohio and the other L134 girls in Chicago at AJ Hudsons and watched the U.S. get placed in Winnepig. For those of you who have seen 'A Very Potter Musical', all I could think about was 'cute like a Guinea pig, wanna take you up to Winnepig, THATS IN CANADA!' And then googled how close it was. 13 hours is a totally doable road trip for a few games, especially since I bought my flights to Vancouver for the quarterfinal and final games already. So pumped, but anyways back to New Zealand. I went back to bed for a little bit then began packing up my stuff and checked out. Face timed with Betty for a hot second to once again show her I was alive and well, with all limbs still intact. She informed me that she got my root beer beer, which THANK YOU BOOZY GODS! Only look 6 months of searching to finally snag some. Ate breakfast at Momma Browns, which I recommend if you ever find yourself here. After breakfast I went to Weta Caves, but missed the tour by 2 minutes and the fact that I know about 2 things regarding Lord of the Rings, I searched elsewhere to kill the time. Tried to go to the zoo, only to end up at a park with a track meet....uhhh this is not a zoo. strike two. finally decided that a beautiful walk in the rain in the botanical gardens was the next destination. It was beautiful, minus the rain and parking situation. There was a street fair next to it. So I looked around, grabbed a snack and found a nice gift for Christine and then brought my car to the Rental agency. Fact security down here is so much more lax, I got to keep my shoes, belt, jewelry and jacket on. I could have even brought liquids through. Customs was also very easy and the whole ordeal took a whooping 7 minutes. I wish O'Hare was this speedy. Now I wait for my flight which is an easy 4 hour flight to Melbourne and begin my time in warm, sunny, Australia.
Final thoughts on New Zealand: love it, didn't overthrow Helsinki as my non-US home destination, but I would come back in a heartbeat. Auckland was cool, Piahia was beautiful, I wish I had more time in Rotorua, had gone to the glow worm caves, and spent a day at Lake Taupo, but that's what next time is for. That and the South Island of course! I didn't kill anyone driving and I haven't driven myself mad yet, so I'd say week 1 of Anna's Australian Adventure was a success.
Also, what they say about Wellington coffee being really good is true. I just had the best cup of the trip (I took a picture since it was pretty as well as delicious)
P.P.S. Typing all of this on an iPad is incredibly difficult, I keep getting finger cramps -__-
Until next time,
#AnnasAustralianAdventure
