Sydney to Windy Wellington – New Zealand here we come!!!!!

So our day started out nice and early on Thursday (your Wednesday).  Off to the airport for our flight to New Zealand.  It was quite the process… not hard at all, just long!  Had to prove to them we had a way out of New Zealand before we could even check in.  Don’t want any chances we will hang around be illegals I guess!

Three-hour flight, watched a movie (Arrival), had lunch, and then, bumped and jerked our way in for a landing.  Cyclone Cook was making for sloppy air in this area, nicknamed ‘Welli’.  We did, however, afterwards, find that we almost didn’t get to land here cuz of the weather and precautions they were taking.  But, our timing was perfect and we just had the bumps as we landed.  Oh, we had a whole rugby or crickett team from an elite private school, all dressed in the school uni’s (white shirts, ties, etc).  about 60 of them, high school age.  Back of the plane after three hours smelled like a warm gym!

Anyway, got to our hotel… nice view and reminded me of home.  Marycatherine (for those who don’t know, my sister) reminded me that Dad always said NZ reminded him of Tacoma as he flew here often while in the Air Force.  For dinner, we had our first Beef Wellington, which originated here.  OH MY GOODNESS!  So, so, so delish… light delicate pastry around  around a filet!  Highly recommend when you are here!

Today, after a leisure morning and an early morning text from said sister above to myself and other sister Patti who is in Greece on vacay at the moment, to tell us that the US just landed a MOAB on Afghanistan…. Both Patti and I ask, What’s an MOAB?  Haven’t been listening to much news, so it was a wakeup call that brought reality to our life real fast! 

We toured the city, which is the capital and seat of the government for New Zealand.  Only about 500,000 people here in Welli, and 5 million for all of NZ.  A bit blustery, but nothing too bad. Some very pretty views, city is on hills and some houses have long staircases to get up to, some of which they create little cable cars on tracks.  As in Australia, housing is extremely expensive.  And, in NZ, since the land is very earthquake prone, have to be built very well… mostly out of wood.  The last severe earthquake was in November of last year.  So, NZ does move and shake and the topical features of the country were formed from all the quakes.  They are on the same Pacific Rim of Fire that the US is.

Also, I didn’t realize, but the indigenous folks here are Maori’s and they settled the area coming from the Polynesian Islands.  What a rich history!  (Now I want to see 'Moana', the movie, since some of the content is based on this culture too!  Maybe plane ride home?)  We visited a great museum (all are free here) and learned lots.  Oh, all shopping stores are closed today.  National holiday for “Good Friday”.  So, no retail therapy for the crazy tourists!  Downtown was almost a ghostland! 

Took time and found a geocache on the waterfront…  saw some Skin Divers hauling in trash they were picking up on the bottom of the bay.  Tonight dinner out with Randy... Italian!… and then, tomorrow more adventuring! A private charter flight in the morning and then one that same afternoon...!  Oh gosh... are we jet-setters or what???

Jillian sends us pics of Oliver, so we can get our Oliver fix... He's turning into a real styling dude I see! 

It's Tacoma!!!

Bay Lights greeting us after dinner!

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Views from Mount Victoria!

This is a pricey cable car that someone built for their home.

National Library

 Parliament...

Homeless folks are here too... And since these stores were closed all day, many of them were still snoozing there around 11:30 in the afternoon

Here's a not so grand cable box someone uses to get to their home below...

The next door neighbor, has all these steps... Can you imagaine doing groceries???

This is one of the largest squids in the world... It was caught in a fisherman's next near NZ   It is a female... they have found others, but never a Male.... Wonder if the Ladies eat them?  Oh... and did you know, NZ was the first country in the world to grant women the ability to vote?  Before the US even!  Obviously Jean, if they were the first... geesh!

Really cool sculpture on the wharf area... (and totally anatomically correct, I spared you that part!)

New meaning to 'Buns of Steel"!