We woke up early and hurriedly finished our packing and sped off for the ferry terminal where we checked in and dropped off our luggage. We returned the rental car nearby and walked back to the terminal. We had a moment to sit and collect ourselves but were soon able to board the ship. In the lounge, we found two seats and chatted with a couple from Sweden. It was a clear day, the sea was calm, and it was a pretty voyage. Three and a half hours later, we docked in Wellington. After gathering our large packs, we caught the shuttle to the train/bus station. A few interesting characters tried to help us find our way, but on our own, we made it to the right bus terminal.
The bus took us to the Lower Hut area of Wellington and we walked a little ways to our hotel. We checked in and were told our room had been upgraded to a two bedroom suite. It had a balcony, a full kitchen, a dining area, a nice bathroom and two big bedrooms. Much more than what we needed but it was easy to enjoy the space and amenities. I began to get ready for the concert and Ryan went to pick up food for us since we hardly had any all day. Around 5pm, I called an Uber to take us to the stadium.
We made it to the Westpac stadium and found our seats on the field. The opener, Mae Valley was playing. They are a New Zealand based country group and I knew a few of their songs. We got a beer and wine before Carrie Underwood came out. She was an amazing singer just like I knew she would be and she put on a good show. She sang some of her new songs and some old. It was neat to finally see her perform because back when she was on American Idol, I voted for her religiously. Our seats were pretty far back from the stage so I was glad they also had big screens showing the performers.
After awhile, it was time for the main event. Keith Urban came on stage and I was immediately captivated. He was such a good performer, and by then everyone was standing up, singing and enjoying themselves. The sun was going down and the show was just getting started. He played a lot of songs off his most recent album, which I love. A female that is featured in one of his songs came on stage and sang with him. Shortly after, Carrie Underwood came back on to sing The Fighter with Keith. He confessed too that even though he was raised in Australia, he was actually born in Whangarei New Zealand but had never performed here in NZ before.
At one point, Keith and a few band mates went through the crowd and to a smaller stage that was set up further back by the stadium's seating. He explained that when they started out years ago, they would play on small stages like that and in front of much smaller crowds. A bit later, he signed the guitar he was playing with and handed it to a very lucky, young fan in the crowd. Once he came back to the main stage, Ryan and I moved closer to get a better view and immerse ourselves amongst the crowd and the energy. This was a much better spot where we (I) danced and sang the night away.
After the amazing show, we caught the train from near the stadium to the Petone station close to our hotel. Since we were more than just a few blocks away from it, instead of only walking back, we ran together all the way there. We watched tv for a little while and went to bed.
