Wellington Roadtrip

Yesterday concluded our five day roadtrip to the south of the north island and back up! I saw a LOT of sheep, cows and farmland, to say the least, and ate out too much! However, there were highlights that I'd like to mention: stopping in Hamilton and getting an amazing wool and recycled fabric hooded pullover that I adore from an outdoor store called Kathmandu (which only reminds me how excited I am to go to Nepal!) Going to the lookout point on Mt. Victoria in Wellington where there was not only a commanding view of the city, but also if you looked due south, the next piece of land one would hit would be Antartica! Also seeing the capital buildings in the city and the boathouse! All very classy. Going to a beach just east of Kapiti Island and finding flattened and smoothed shells thanks to the currents of the ocean (they are awesome and I plan to give them as good luck charms!) Stopping at a black sand beach near Wanganui! Must admit, I didn't really realize that they existed, so it was really cool to see. This is also where I saw one of the most beautiful night skies I must have ever viewed, and saw my first invasive aussie possum. I phrase it as such because the possums in NZ were brought over from Austrailia for the fur trade, but have become a very problematic and invasive species. There are over 70million in NZ, and they are considered open game year round. The government will send you money when you send in pelts apparently. Back to highlights: hiking and staying in a hut on Mt. Egmont, also known as Mt. Taranaki. The wilderness or "bush" out here is so much different than from back home! Its a completely densely packed jungle. I have never seen anything like it. Additionally, there were a few ladders on the trail! Very cool :) Also something I've never seen is the way the national park around Taranaki works out. There is a circle around the mountain and when you leave the bush it turns straight into farmland again. On maps its pretty weird to see. Typically I feel like there isn't much of a difference between national park and the surrounding area, whereas in this particular case it is as clear as black and white. All in all, a very successful trip if I do say so myself :) Now I'm going to do some laundry and look into planning our trip up north for this upcoming weekend! Then depending on how long I spend doing that, I will go down to the waterfront and take a ferry to one of the nearby islands until Mason gets back from class. Living the easy life down here in kiwi land for sure. I'm loving it!

Check out pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/allen.jackiem/NewZealand?authkey=Gv1sRgCL-Euuuk3NbPjAE&feat=directlink