Yesterday was a typical example of what I am now discovering with regards to doing this blog, the more you have to show and tell the less time you have to do it. When there is little to tell such as a sea day you have lots of time. Very frustrating indeed.
We awoke to an amazing sunrise this morning on our sail into New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. With no tours booked we still got up early in order to cram in as much as we could.
The same setup for getting off the ship was again in place but we managed to just walk off not long after the ship being given clearance. After being dropped in town by the shuttle we made our way to the Wellington Cable Car where purchased a one way ticket to the top.
From there we took a 30 minute walk to a wildlife sanctuary called Zealandia. Once inside we did a 2 hour circular walk round the park trying to spot as much of the native species they have. We could hear them OK but seeing them was another matter. Amongst the species we did spot were the Takahē which a large flightless bird which was once thought extinct. Anothers were a Tūi which has a white tuft on its throat, a Kākā which is a type of parrot and Pāteke which is a small brown duck.
It really is a picturesque place and provided a really lovely walk. From there we used their free shuttle to the top of the cable car but then walked down through the botanical gardens.
Wanting to get to Te Papa which is what is described as New Zealand’s interactive museum we then took a taxi to get there as it was the other end of town. We spent about an hour there but if honest found it a little disappointing, there were some interesting items but it just didn’t deliver the knock out punch I was expecting.
So prior to heading back to the ship we had some lunch and I sampled some local craft beers which were very nice indeed.
Back on board we have just relaxed and chatted with friends before getting ready to go for early evening drinks in the Sky Lounge. Tomorrow is a tender port so I will be curious to see how that all unfolds.