Well, Well, Wellington...

Written by Amanda White

Today, the wheels on the bus went round. And round. And round.

We drove (correction: Stacy drove. We napped and listened to music and READ! We brought so many books on this trip. Tori read ‘The Chocolate War’ this afternoon alone; Erin is reading ‘Girl at War’; Hannah, a memoir called, ‘We’ll Always Have Paris’; Madeline, ‘Straying from the Flock: Travels in New Zealand'; and I’m somehow trudging my  way through ‘Anna Karenina.’ Just in case you needed some new additions to your reading list…) all the way from Taupo to Wellington today. The drive is around five hours, so we headed out early to make some stops along the way.

We first paused by Lake Taupo one last time and heard stories of Maori traditions about the island in Lake Taupo. It was the most peaceful way to start our morning, and we were sad to leave the beautiful lake. {Also, we are now officially getting the *full* New Zealand experience weather-wise—the Californians among us are especially—ahem—adjusting to how cold it is as we go farther south…)}

We also made a stop at Soul Café in Taihape for hot chocolate, flat whites, and smoothies; and hopped out at Bulls, the town whose main export is puns. It was a quick stop, but the drive through was adora-bull.

Mid-afternoon, we got our first full view of our soon-to-be home: Wellington! It was a perfectly sunny day to see the city in all of its glory for the first time. 

We loved our YHA  here, too, and YHA Area Manager Chris was entertaining and connected very easily as he helped us understand the strong brand of the hostels we’ve now spent quite a few nights in.

For our first evening in Windy Welly, we met Massey intern Jana, who was our guide through the night market scene for all who were feeling up to it! We are all smitten by the city, and can’t wait for more time here. The fantastic food, charismatic performers, and overall character of the city were a great preview of coming attractions.

Tomorrow, we switch from North to South Island! What mode of transportation will we take?? You’ll just have to wait and sea… Till tomorrow!