Windy Welly (Part 1)

That 7 hour bus journey from Taupō turned into 8 hours of living hell. The air con was broken (remember it’s summer here) for the first half of the journey. The bus got so hot we had to stop and wait for an engineer to come and fix it. Thankfully they did. But I made it to Wellington. Ready for a 6 night stay and not entirely sure what to expect…

Well I can confidently say that the capital of New Zealand is the best city I have ever been to, and I’ve only been here two days. 

It all started with a walking tour of the city centre, exploring its history and learning about how being on a fault line affects it. They are apparently still repairing buildings from a 2016 earthquake. After that it was up the historic cable car and into the botanic gardens. 

Day two started with a trip to ZEALANDIA, a nature reserve cut off from the rest of New Zealand, meaning the animals can thrive with no risk of being eaten by predators. They pride themselves on their 2.2 metre high fence that surrounds the reserve, but they clearly haven’t experienced the Glastonbury superfence. Then it was up to Mount Victoria to see the city skyline. 

The sun has finally arrived, and the sun cream has been slapped on. It’s hot, but it’s absolutely fantastic. 

I’m currently now experiencing the best bars in Wellington. Lots of craft breweries here (quite honestly the beer scene is better here than in Bristol and that’s saying something). I’ve got an official map of where to go on the beer trail. I’ll try and behave and not conquer all of them…

This is only part 1 of my time in Wellington. There’s still lots planned over the next three days. 

Quite honestly, I’m starting to think I might live here for a bit when this adventure is over! So why is it my favourite city? It has everything I’m interested in. Hiking, mountain biking, lots of beautiful roads to cycle, the seaside, being in a city, live music, and of course, beer. The most important thing though, there’s a bloody Welsh pub! The only Welsh pub in the southern hemisphere I’m told. 

Also just to note, it has the nickname Windy Welly as it’s very windy here. But it’s rather welcome when it’s a hot day. I’m also staying in the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in. It’s a bit pricey but there’s nothing better than a little bit of “flashpacking” now and then. 

P.S. Those of you that are eagle eyed might note that the “I” is missing from Wellington in the first photo. I suspect a person is meant to be the “I”. But as Dylan is a fragile little dragon and it’s windy, I had to place him in the first “L” so he didn’t get blown away!