At the conclusion of my field trip in Marlborough, I hopped on a bus (the fare was $1 thanks to nakedbus.com, and no you don't have to be naked to be on it!)to Picton where I would hop a ferry to Wellington. I was so excited to be on a ferry again & it brought back memories of Seattle. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the time of day I booked my trip & I didn't get to see the Marlborough Sounds due to the cover of night. I made it safely to my hostel, YHA Wellington, which was quite nice for being a hostel. I had never stayed in a hostel on my own & I might have been spoiled from this experience! I stayed on one of the top floors, so had a good view of the harbour. My roommates were three girls from the UK, it must have really easy for them to travel! There were two kitchen areas & both were large & well equipped. In many respects, I thought this place was better than hotels & motels I've stayed at in the US.
Over the next two days, I saw the sights! I visited, Parliament, Botanic Gardens, Te Papa (a great museum), the wharf, Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Mt. Victoria, famous churches, the cable car & its museum, different cafes and the like. The highlight was when I stepped onto the bus of a tour I booked through nakedbus.com (also for $1)and found out I was the only on it!!! That was the last thing I was expecting that day. I got my own private tour of the city & coastline in a big charter bus for $1! I wonder if that's how celebrities feel like everyday...
