Kiwis rock !

I got on the bus at 1255 today in Tirau.

An hour later I had a text from Milky asking did I want to stay with her
Mum tonight ?

So here's how it works, I met Milky 4 days ago & tonight her Mum picks
me up & gives me a bed for the night. Needs no comment really does it ?

Now you can call me a luddite but I find it incredible that courtesy of
something the size of a mobile phone, I was met at the station today by
someone who had never met me, on the power of 3 text messages - amazing.

As I was dragging my bag off the coach, it dawned on me that I had no idea
what Milky''s mum looked like. It was at this point that I noticed a
very determined looking lady heading towards me.

I was engulfed in a huge hug & told 'I recognise you!'
That's ok then.

Then we were off on a whistle-stop tour of Wellington.

If someone had said to me what would you like to do most having got
off an 8-hour coach journey it would have involved tea & a sit-down.

Not for the human dynamo that is Milky's Mum.

We did the Te Papa museum in 30 minutes flat.

It was beautiful, very modern & thoughtfully laid out with lots of sound
effects & interactive displays.

We saw the skeleton of Phar-Lap, the Britten bike, the skeleton of a pigmy
blue whale, the Waitangi Treaty and an albatross.



Pigmy blue whale skeleton.



Sex on wheels - I saw this bike at the Isle Of Man TT in 1994



One of these moves very quickly. The other is a motorbike.



Quite possibly the worst picture I have of me, but it had to get published because of the Kiwi. Look - it's embedded in my head !



A corrugated Holden. Why ?



The original 'before & after' Slim-Fast advert was withdrawn after complaints from shocked viewers.



Milky's Mum says it takes 6 days to see everything in the museum,
so we did pretty well in 30 minutes. After that we sprinted to the car
to do the following ...

Cruised slowly around the $1 million harbour-side properties
which were rendered even more spectacular by the addition of white
Christmas lights in all the trees.

Next came a dusk drive around Wellington. We climbed to the top of a hill
to the Victoria lookout point, which offered an almost panoramic
360 with Cook Strait to our right & the Hutt Valley & the harbour to our left.

Flippin' Nora - it was cold up there.

Bill always talks about how beautiful the nightime Auckland skyline was.
Bill - come & look at Wellington, quite the most dazzling views & that's
from a townie-hater. The lights are gorgeous anyway but magnified in the
water they shimmer like jewels.

Next we headed up to Karori (which is where Milky's Mum lives) during which
we passed the Beehive which is where Parliament sits. It's iconic but not
nearly as beautiful as the Old Parliament Buildings & the General Assembly
Library.

Shortly after the Botanical Gardens I noted the Fire Station, it's always
handy to know how far they have to come.

This area of Wellington reminds me of a mini San-Fran, with the overhead
lines for trolley buses and the swooping up & down avenues. The shops
are eclectic, pretty & individual.

An apology

I had nothing good to say about Wellington the last time I passed
through in August 2003. I remember being shell-shocked by the noise
& the traffic & crowds. To be fair, I had just come from the South Island
& wasn't very kindly disposed to the North.

Having seen another side of Wellington tonight with an enthusiastic &
knowledgeable guide I apologise to Wellington & Wellingtonians.
Hell - I'm even thinking of making a day on the way back to look around
the botanical gardens.

As soon as I arrived here I was shown to my room, offered a shower & plied
with food (Milky's Mum comes from the Tanner school of hospitality methinks)
In answer to the question 'What would you liek to drink ?' I asked for tea.
'Are you sure you wouldn't like wine ? 'She must have seen the doubt in my
face as I was presented with tea and wine.

Then came the question travellers everywhere love to hear ...

'Would you like to Blog ?' so that's what I'm doing now
(at the same time as helping to change the water in Fishy's tank, as he looks
a tad furry & not particularly well)

I think that about does it, thank you Stin, Bloo & Andy for keeping me company
on the bus journey & a special thank you to the Japanese stunt-woman at
Taupo. You were magnificent. Note to all travellers, watch the Japanese,
they are hugely entertaining. This one stumbled headlong down the
coach steps, tripping over her bag as she landed. Whilst bending to retrieve
said bag, a large bottle of water slipped from her rucksack & brained her.
8/10.

If there are photos on this, then I've managed to download them, if there aren't
then I haven't. No bitching or whining.

Cx

ps. lovely photos Bridget :)

pps. Thanks again Milky's Mum, you personify why I love this country.