ROCKY LOOKOUT

Also in October, I had the wonderful opportunity to do a little bit of tramping on one of the mountains near Masterton with the super cool Amy Munn. She posed the idea of doing one of the day walks to many people, but since no one from the young adults bible study was free and since her other friends had to back out due to last minute changes in plans, she was left with me. Poor Amy...

Everything started out as you might expect. After we had been walking up a bit, we both got a little bit breathless. But for some reason, I found the bottom of the hill more difficult, and once I got going became fine. Unfortunately, this did not happen for Amy, who increasingly became more and more out of breath the further up we got. It wasn't like climbing up this hill was easy for me, but my respiratory system didn't seem to get the memo. There were a couple of times when I tried pretending to be more tired and out of breath than I actually was in an attempt to make her feel better, but I don't think it was really helping. 

It was at this point when I tried to verbally make her feel better. Anyone who knows me really well, knows that the second I decide to open my mouth in an attempt to console someone, it becomes a bad idea. I don't know why I thought this would help, but I decided to talk about my experience climbing up to the caves in my first year in Mexico. I think I thought that it would somehow convey that I understood what she was experiencing... I still don't know why I thought that would help. Aii, poor Amy. Looking back, I feel so bad - Amy is puffing away, thinking that she's going to die and looking dauntingly at the endless amount of stairs we have to keep climbing and here I am chattering away about how I've climbed mountains in Mexico. Good one, Natalie. 

But we made it to the top, eventually. The view was spectacular and after we ate our lunches we forgot about the difficulty we had climbing up there (until we woke up the next day with sore legs). Amy, if you ever read this, I'm sorry! I fail socially and thanks for an amazing experience!

MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS

A few... okay, many weekends ago I got the chance to do a bit of travel on my own. So, I packed a bag and hopped on a train down to Wellington. Friday was great just wandering around Wellington at my own pace. The youth hostel needed a paint job, but it had the comfiest beds ever... and let's be honest, they're much cheaper than hotels for a reason. 

Rise and Shine!

Saturday, I got up bright and early and boarded the Bluebridge ferry to Picton. Not that there is anything super exciting about Picton, but to get there one must travel through the Marlborough Sounds and I since I'm still not sure what I'm going to do in my last two weeks, if I'm going to go to the South Island or not, I thought it would be nice to at least say that I'd seen some of the South Island - even if it was just Picton. 

Jellyfish!

If you're ever planning on traveling by ferry, everyone will be fixated with advice about how you can avoid motion sickness... but honestly, my advice is, unless you have really short hair, bring a hat... for 2 reasons. One: on the way to Picton, it was a bit windy, which resulted in my hair feeling like it had been backcombed even though I had put it up. Two: on the way from Picton, I sat at the balcony/seating area at the back of the boat which in my opinion were the best seats in the house, but which also happened to be in direct sunlight and sunglasses were not quite adequate. 

But all minor frustrations aside, this was an absolutely amazing experience. On the way back, I even saw dolphins and the albatross were diving into the water around them. It was spectacular. Unfortunately, cameras aren't always the greatest at capturing these things, so you'll have to take my word for it. The Marlborough Sounds are amazingly beautiful and so. worth. seeing. 

Picton from the ferry

Cheers!

THE WAY IS SHUT

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead, and the Dead keep it, until the time comes. The way is shut." 

~

Had the coolest most fun packed weekend.... last couple of weekends actually.  Saturday morning my host and I got up, packed some lunch and a copious amount of water into a chilly bin, loaded up the car and hit the road. Destination: South Wairarapa! Putangirua Pinnacles, Cape Palliser, Lake Ferry... basically the southern most part of the North Island.

The great thing about New Zealand is that even getting places is exciting. Passing though the town of Martinborough, travelling on country roads between farmland (and thousands and thousands of sheep), over rolling hills, along the coast - it's pretty much the epitome of enjoyable and it's incredibly beautiful.

First stop: The Pinnacles. 

View from the Pinnacles Lookout 

They aren't exactly a breeze to get to - you have to walk about an hour up a rocky riverbed/stream then up and up and up a rocky hill, totally exposed to the sun - but it's totally worth it. Once you get up you can walk through the eroded columns of stone, being mindful that they could technically collapse at any moment, crushing you or starting a rock slide... but they are far too beautiful for thoughts like that. In the picture above, they look quite flat... far too flat in my opinion. Believe me you are constantly walking up hill, even when walking through them. I probably have a hundred photos of rocks on my camera after this; just warning anyone that has thought about asking to see photos of my trip... Ignore all thoughts following the paths between the pinnacles to the very end. On my way up, pulling myself up over obstacles had been done by holding on to rocks on the sides of the pinnacles with my hands, since there came a point were I could no longer trust the rocks under my feet.There may have been a point where I was suspended like a tree frog, unable to go up because if I moved I would start a slide of rocks and then slip back down the slope of rocks and unable to go down because the rocks I was holding on to on the sides couldn't hold my weight enough to allow me to lower myself down the slop. Images of starting a rock slide which would inevitably bury my unassuming host who had the sense to stop long below were conjured up in my mind. I considered how the signs coming up the hill which said, "Caution: Rock slides" and "Do not climb the pinnacles" would probably negate my medical insurance. I'm still not entirely sure how I got out of that situation, but I got down most of the rest of the slope on my derrière.

For my less nerdy viewers, who possibly might not get the reference at the beginning, this site is one of the filming locations for a scene in the Lord of the Rings. It was a passage called 'The Dimholt Road.' In full sunlight and without the dramatic music it was much less creepy, but there is something eerie about walking alone amide towering rocky towers so I can see why they chose this site for the scene. My host was constantly commenting on our long ascent up to the pinnacles how, "Peter Jackson probably wouldn't have walked up all the way up there. He probably had a helicopter." 

Of course I couldn't leave without leaving a little bit of Canada behind! 

Next Stop: Cape Palliser 

(But only after stopping in Ngawi for icecream! Passionfruit mmmmm....) The walk up to the light house was a little bit daunting, but we made it! 

Cape Palliser Lighthouse

Climbed all 253 of these!

The whole time up the steps I was thinking, "Don't turn around; don't look down." The way down I had to hang on to the rail with both hands! But the view at the top was spectacular. You could see all the way down the coast, the rocky beaches and jagged coastal rocks on one side and the black sands on the other. I've never seen black sand before. There's something almost mystical about them. It can be bright and sunny, but when you looks at the beaches it almost seems overcast, I can't explain. 

And in case the spectacular views, fresh sea breeze and calming noise of the waves crashing against the rocks were not enough, down on the rocks below were New Zealand's fur seals. It was just another lazy day for them. We watched them for a while and wandered among the rocks searching for shells. 

Last stop: Lake Ferry

Lake Ferry (this is a town not an actual lake) is on the shore of Lake Oneke which is separated from Palliser Bay by a sand bar, which is black like the other beaches in the area. This area is not the safest to swim in due to the rips created by the lake draining into the bay and the undertows have carried people away. 

We walked along the sand bar and then stopped at the pub/restaurant/hotel near the beach. I decided to try the whitebait fritters, which are essentially whitebait fish (an anchovy-sized fish, sourced locally) in an egg mixture fried like an omelette. I thought they were delicious (although my host thinks they "taste like nothing"). It's true, they don't have a strong fishy flavour, but I think the texture is part of what makes this dish popular. 

*If you are easily grossed out, skip this next bit*

After we get our fritters, I had already taken a bite when my host leaned over and said, "I don't want to put you off, but did you know those are it's eyes?" 

I didn't think they were gross; I happily finished my fritters!
You be the judge. 

After our fritters were finished, we decided it was time to head home. With all that hiking and sea air we were confident we would sleep well. After putting her in the car before eating dinner, the dog refused to get out of the car and once we started off she didn't move an inch from this position:

Tired Pip? Someone's had a full day!

WETA WORKSHOP

This post has been a loooong time coming. It has occurred to me that some of the people reading this blog may have never seen the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit and that much of what I say may have been lost on them. All I can say is that is very unfortunate. So for those of you who don't know, 13 years ago this December the first film of one of the highest grossing film series of all time was released and the world changed forever. Based on the novel, The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, the films made their way into cinemas around the world and into many many people's hearts. The films were considered to be one of the biggest most ambitious film projects ever undertaken and were partially created by these guys: 

Weta Workshop. Founded by Sir Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger in 1987, Weta Workshop embodies the Kiwi 'no. 8 wire' can-do attitude employing many master craftsmen, many of whom are self taught. Named after the infamous New Zealand weta (basically a VERY large cricket), Weta has brought fame to New Zealand through it's work on projects like The Lord of the Rings, The Last Samurai, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, Distict 9, Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin and The Hobbit. Basically it has become a mecca for nerds all over the world traveling to New Zealand to make their pilgrimage and, up until the last couple of years, stand outside the gates and peer through and hope to see something. 

Luckily for us, 2 years ago, the founders saw the financial gain in opening up a small part of the workshop for pilgrims to be guided through explanations of the work the company does and look through into a couple of parts of the workshop to see parts of the creative process. And it is definitely worth it. Starting from sketches up to the final painting of the prop, the guide explains how everything in the movies are made, different materials used for different shots and even how they make replicas. He discussed the digital process, sword and armour crafting, 'bigatures' and much more. We went in there expecting to just get shown some props and how they were made - and we did - and came out with a lesson about life. 

It perfectly mirrored a conversation I had just had with 2 college-aged girls (college in NZ is the same as high school) the Sunday prior. Somehow we got on the topic of future careers. One of the girls was saying that she wanted to be a brain surgeon; the other that she had no idea what she wanted to do. We talked about how it's okay to not know what career path you should follow, that university is over-rated and that you shouldn't necessarily be focused solely on getting there (unless of course you want to be a brain surgeon). I told them that just because you've decided a career path does not mean that you know what you want to do for the rest of your life. Other choices crop up. The one everyone is asking me now is, "So what type of nursing do you want to do?" This revelation came as a huge shock to me because all through high school and much of university I thought I had this whole career path sorted, having chosen to pursue nursing and studying at McMaster. We discussed how so much of education and energy, as children and youth, is focused on getting kids to figure out what they "want to be when they grow up" but not enough time is focused on helping them enjoy their childhood. You can always work on being more grown up; once lost you can't work on becoming a child. I told them to do what they love, are interested in learning and have passion for and to try to make a job out of that if possible. It fit in so well with what our guide discussed about his own personal experience. 

I got this quote from the Weta Workshop website and it pretty much sums up what we talked about during the tour: 

      "Working at Weta is about as good as it gets," Matt says - "We get paid to have a hobby and play with weapons at work. I carry around a Japanese Katana when I do my tours... where else can you do that?" 
      Matt also says what so many other artists at Weta tell us, that the most important thing you need to work in a place like Weta is passion and a desire to be the best at what you can do. What school you attend or what qualifications you hold comes second to the passion for your art. 
      "It's never a bad thing studying. I would never discourage anyone, but it really isn't the only way to get a job, at least not here in New Zealand... Not everyone is cut out for higher education - financial reasons, learning difficulties or dyslexia may mean it's hard to acquire a formal education, but the very same things may well increase your chances of becoming a great artist and the lack of education shouldn't stop anyone from being allowed to pursue their dreams."

ONE MORE STEP

Okay, so I kind of passed that point a long time ago... But I've had a new milestone this week (and I just wanted an excuse to use this quote): I am now OFFICIALLY moved in. I know it probably isn't that big of a deal for all of you. But although I'd taken most of my clothes out and put them in some drawers, nothing was super organized and I was still living out of my suitcase. My room, even when organized, looked a little chaotic with 2 suitcases lying around and piles of shoes books around them. As of Thursday, I've re-organized my drawers, started utilizing the closets, put my books in the book space under my nightstand and hid the suitcases in the closet. When I first got here, I didn't bother fully unpacking because I thought, "It isn't like I'm going to be here very long. I can handle living out of my suitcase for a little while." But now that I'm settled and gotten used to living here, I realized that that was silly and was just a symbol of how a piece of me was holding on to things back home. 

That being said, this week was also a week of looking back. My Granda and Gram celebrate 60 years together last week (Thursday) and I was really disappointed that I couldn't be there with two people who I love and respect so deeply. I talked previously about how we don't think of how it will feel when we move somewhere and the food, trees, flowers, speech is different than we are used to, and we don't always think to prepare for these things, because we are worrying about customs/immigration, money, electrical, weather, time, etc. This week, I considered how I didn't really think of what it would be like missing out on certain things back home. My sister turned 19 and my mum and dad and 3 friends are all celebrating their birthdays while I am away. I will also miss Thanksgiving with my family and the ever-increasing-in-length preparation and excitement leading up to Christmas (yes, Cara and I have already had a few conversations regarding decorations and gifts). These are all things I really enjoy and didn't anticipate missing. While I accept this (and am interested in how Kiwis prepare for Christmas), it's just one more thing that I would advise people who are considering moving to a new country to consider. 

JOURNEY IN THE DARK

The crowd around the gates was already a decent size when we arrived and was growing quickly. People were milling around in small groups, chatting to each other with excitement and curiosity. I don't think anyone really knew what to expect. The Botanical Gardens are not exactly well known for glow worms, so I think many of us had low expectations. It must have been an interesting sight to any passerby to see a crowd of people collected around it's back entrance gates after dark.  

They split the crowd into 3 groups and briefly explained some basic information about the incandescent insects. Glow worms are the larvae of a small fly (which in it's adulthood is similar to a mosquito). The species found in New Zealand is not found anywhere else in the world, although there are other species in Australia and Fiji. The larvae are suspended by webs which catch small insects that they feed on and are typically found around water. Since Wellington is windy, these webs are shorter that the glow worms in the Waitamo Caves (a tourist location famous for them) where they are much better protected. The light produced by the glow worm is bio-luminescence which means that it is produced by a chemical reaction within the worm. 

After beginning our walk, we all moved forward in a bit of a clump, further into the forest in the gardens. A lot of people were shining their torches around to see, but as long as you followed the person in front of you, really the only people who needed them to see were those at the front. There was only a sliver of a moon, but it was still quite bright. After some time we could hear the sound of a creek below on our right side and we were asked to turn off our torches. We all stretched to try and look down to see whatever we could of the glow worms. We moved along the path, but let a lot of people pass, because after they had finished looking in the area they were in they would turn on their torch and make it impossible for the rest of us to see the glow worms.The glow worms became easier to see and increased in number as we walked along. The pack of people was dispersed over the length of the pathway and we could meander more freely. Also, a bit further up the pathway, a bank developed on our left side which had the worms glowing away (although not as brightly and in as great numbers as by the river. 

I couldn't take a picture that would properly show you what this looked like (or look like anything other than darkness), so I've stolen a photo from google that hopefully will give you an idea of the ambiance created by the glow of the worms. 

I believe this is probably taken in the Waitamo caves

It was a mystical experience walking along in the dark with the path lit with blue-green incandescent light with the stars and the sliver of the moon. As I said, on the left there was a creek, so the worms were spread out over the different levels of the riverbed and up the sides of the banks around it, creating a slight chasm effect (since we couldn't see the details of the creek or bush around it). These glowed quite impressively. On the left, they worms didn't glow quite as brightly on the bank, so there were clumps of little pinpricks of light in crude lines along the way. Above you could see the sky and the clouds and the southern cross (which is the group of stars on the NZ flag) past the tops of the trees. It was a fairly warmish night and there was only a slight breeze. This came in gusts which would howl as they approached and the ferns and cabbage trees would rust in such a way that it sounded like a wall of rain was coming towards you. At first, because we were not 100% certain that it wouldn't rain, it was a bit nerve-racking, but once you got used to it, it just added to the mood of the evening. It was light wandering through a mystical forest by fairy lights, no word of a lie. It was so awesome. Definitely one of the coolest and most enjoyable experiences of New Zealand so far. 

Wellington Botanical Gardens are very enjoyable to walk around in the day as well. Although, I must add that it is not always very well signed, so it can be easy to lose your way (but don't worry, other than probably a few more hills to climb and possibly going out of your way, you'll find your way fairly quickly). I tried to go back to the spot that we toured the glow worms, just to give you an idea of what the forest area was like and to try to imagine it in the dark and with blue-green glowing specs along the way, but I got lost.... a few times, and took photos as I was walking along, so my the time I got there my camera had died. So here are some photos taken from the gardens, but not in the area we had the tour. 

Cheers!

A Short Rest

 I sincerely apologize for the length of silence since my last blog post. I've been extremely busy - running to and fro with the elves (I wish) - with the district nurses (doing 3 days a week), communicating with my tutor and doing coursework, working out some hiccups, catching up with family and working out some hiccups. I realize that the title is a bit deceiving. It isn't necessarily that there hasn't been anything to blog about, but in my spare time I've just been too tired to write. There will probably be weeks when there isn't a whole lot for me to write about because I obviously am here for school, so this may at times inhibit my doing anything super exciting. I don't want to write too much about my placement because I don't want to risk endangering the confidentiality I promise my patients. Most of my net several blogs will involve events from the past 2 weeks (I'm catching up on the "short" rest I've taken from my blog).

Last week was incredibly busy. I worked with the district nurses team Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday I had the most wonderful opportunity to attend a workshop on the Treaty of Waitangi. This is a very important document in New Zealand history since it was an agreement made between the Crown and the Indigenous people of NZ - the Maori. The workshop explored the contents of the document (or should I say documents...), why it's important, the history of colonialism and the Maori in New Zealand, and many more things. I basically thought I was signing up for a lesson on how to solve issues between Pakeha and Maori people, but I couldn't have been more off track. What I got was so much better. I look forward to discussing this with you in the future. 

Friday I was invited to a glow worm tour in the botanical gardens (which I will discuss in a separate blog). On our way we stopped off at a memorial in Featherston which marks the place of a WWI training ground as well as a Japanese POW camp. I will make sure to post these photos on the Images page. 

After the glow worm tour, we headed over to the Cuban St. Market for a quick look around. On a number of the main shopping streets there will be a little "cove" street where there are a few more shops squeezed. These streets are not super wide (as they aren't made for vehicles), but this is  exactly where the market was located - down one of these side streets. The vendors' tents were placed up against the regular day shops' front windows, lining one or both sides of the street. It is really difficult to describe the atmosphere of the market as there were so many sounds, smells (and tastes), but my host thought it reminded her of a market in Asia (I don't necessarily disagree). The vendors offered a variety of foods from a variety of cultures and a few crafty souvenirs. Churros, falafels, Dutch waffles and custard (which were delicious), sushi, dumplings, crepes (and I'm limiting this list to food I think most people will recognize) - you could have you're pick of food from probably every continent. We walked through looking at a variety of mouth-watering food options, said, "That looks good" to some kind of pork kebab that was being grilled over a fire at a booth that said Filipino... something, and enjoyed.Of course I realized that I had no idea what was in the sauce with which they were basting the pork - could have had pine nuts, peanut oil... who knew what -  but I didn't die, so I assumed it was safe for me to eat. Try new things remember. 

At the end of another week of work, my host took me back to Wellington to visit Weta Cave, before dropping me off somewhere and telling me some basic directions to where I was wanting to head (of which all I retained was "go straight down this road") and I basically just wandered to where I was wanting to start. After seeing some other things, which again I will make a separate post for, I decided to head back to Cuba St. and maybe have a cappuccino and sit down in a cafe to fill my time before I was to meet my ride back to Masterton. On my way there, my attention was diverted from navigating where I was going by the most wonderful smell coming from a little booth making and selling fresh authentic French crepes. Best decision ever! Almost. (You think this story is about a crepe.) After several blocks, I glanced downward and received a shock as I noticed that there where crepe syrup drippings down the front of my shirt! When my crepe was handed to me it was inconveniently wrapped so that you could only eat the bit of the crepe that stuck out the top. So I decided to unwrap it so I could get at the rest to eat it while I walked back to where I was to meet my host. I should also mention that what contributed to my fright was that I had to meet my ride in about a 1/2 hour to go to the Weta Workshop tour (again - another post - sorry!). And I still needed to walk to where we were meeting. I ran to the nearest McDonald's to try to wipe the mess away, but OF COURSE we have to be "eco-friendly" and replace all paper towel dispensers with air dryers. How impractical! Normally I don't care about this kind of thing, but it was really noticeable and messy and sticky (can't look sloppy when meeting that statue of Gandalf), so I ran back up the street to a shop I had noticed had a sale on & bought a shirt for $5. Then ran back to the McDonald's to change into the shirt. The whole ordeal must have been quite a sight... especially the several blocks where I walked around looking like I had forgotten to wear my bib. It happens to the best of us. No more crepes for me!

I'm sorry that all you've basically heard is "Wellington, Wellington, Wellington..." since it's conveniently close to where I am... and I've had free rides there. But honestly, it's awesome; there's so much to see and do! 

ZUMBA

As I've said in a previous blog post, when you're traveling (especially when trying to live in a new place) you have to try new things. This also involves saying yes to things maybe you wouldn't (within reason). So, needless to say, when one of the nurses I've been shadowing asks me if I want to join her at Zumba, I consent. I believe it is also needless to say that there will be no pictures in this post. Not that I have anything against Zumba, but some forms of exercise (i.e. hiking... mostly hiking) are more attractive to me than others. 

So we arrive at the facility and of course I didn't pack any sweat pants or anything Zumba appropriate really... just jeans (which surprisingly weren't too bad). The people running the program were really nice and attempted to explain to me how Zumba works. In actuality it is my complete understanding of Zumba that has caused my aversion to the activity, but it was nice that at least they didn't expect me to be able to follow a whole lot at the beginning. 

Then the program started and everyone found their spots and began following the instructor. I don't know if many of you have experienced Zumba before, but it is kind of like hip hop meets grade 8 dance (I'm sorry if I am offending anyone but this is the impression that emerged in my mind from about the beginning). At the beginning it's actually pretty easy. The music is up beat, the instructor's steps are fairly simple and easy to follow and overall your not really working up a sweat. 

Of course, after a few songs it starts to get more difficult and you have to concentrate a little harder to follow along. But at this point, while I wasn't always able to quite follow, I still haven't worked up a sweat and start to look around at the rest of the room. Part of this was due to the fact that the woman in front of me started to stand increasingly out of line and block my view of the instructor. It is at this point that I look at her and become seriously concerned because she looks like she's dying. While she's following along she seems to have partially lost control of her body and is almost flailing along. Her head is sticking out slightly, her mouth is open and her tongue is almost hanging out. I wanted to go up to her and ask, "Are you okay?" but I had to do a side step followed by a swivel-ly movement. Someone get the D-fib machine, this lady's DYING over here! After I recover from my shock, I can't help but laugh. In a shoddy attempt to conceal my cruel sense of humour naturally loose all ability to follow any steps from the instructor as all of my brain energy is being re-directed to attempt to divert my attention from the zombie doing Zumba in front of me. 

Once I gain control, it is at this point that the steps become increasingly more difficult. In fact, they are no longer steps, but hips swings and turns and I don't even know! Take the mix I mentioned above and add salsa dancing. My body doesn't move like this! My hips especially cannot move like this! Steps I'm okay with. Jumping I can do. Latin motion? I'm Irish! There's a reason why our traditional dance involves no body movement from the waist up! 

I'm floundering to find some kind of movement or step that could replace these movements and not look like I'm not doing anything really at all. I can't follow anything at this point! I'm behind, going in the wrong direction and just plain probably looking like Zumba Zombie in front of me. Of course, then I think about this and look at Zumba Zombie and just loose it. There was no hope from then on. At last it finally finishes and I'm able to go home. 

In conclusion, I don't want to make too much fun of Zumba Zombie. She knew all the steps and hey, if it gets her an hour of aerobics a couple of days a week, good for her! I have to admit, Zumba is much more fun than other forms of exercise, such as jogging, sit-ups - you get the picture - and if you can't follow along, at least you'll get some exercise while laughing at yourself.

Cheers!

RIVENDELL

'To Rivendell where Elves yet dwell

In glades beneath the misty fell

Through moor and waste we ride in haste

And wither then we cannot tell'

                                           ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Middle Earth is much easier to get around these days. 

On my way back from Wellington we veered off the beaten path and stopped in one of the parks along the way. As much as I'd like to have a contest to see who can pick out locations from the films, many of the locations have nothing or little remaining from sets because New Zealand is really strict about preserving its natural habitats. Here there was a path among the trees and some markers, but nothing else remains of the elven paradise other than a monument that is currently being created. It's still really cool though, to think that you're standing in one of the locations that your favourite movie was shot in. And to be completely honest, the humble leftovers and out of the way location make it really enjoyable to visit, because it isn't fraught with tourists. I prefer it this way. Sites like these are kind of something special between the landscape, the Lord of the Rings franchise and the people of New Zealand. What makes it even better is that its among a beautiful trail and rain forest. 

One of the markers of the film's location

This archway is currently under construction. The goal when it is finished is to make it look like an ancient remnant of Rivendell, from a bygone age. I have to say they're succeeding thus far, although it would be nice if they would add a couple more pieces to balance it with the landscape. Of course, there's a sign that tells you to keep back for "your safety". And of course that meant we had to go stand under it. 

After we finished in Rivendell, we explored a little around the pathways in the forest. Below are some shots I took while on the swing bridge across the river. I think I should get bonus points for getting such clear shots!

WELLINGTON!

Wellington was voted 'the coolest little capitol in the world' by Lonely Planet in 2011 and it definitely lives up to its expectations. It also has the infamous nickname 'Windy Welly' because of its frequent gale-force winds and often wet climate in the Winter months. Thankfully, there was only a breeze and mist today. As we drove into Wellington, there was a faint rainbow starting from the bay towards the city. What a great way to start the day! 

If you're going to spend the money and time travelling to New Zealand, for the most part, you really don't want to spend your time in the city. You've come for the views and variety of activities New Zealand has to offer. A city is a city is a city (for the most part in my opinion). But if you going to choose between Auckland (where most travel agencies will have you spend a few days to start/end your trip) and Wellington, absolutely choose Wellington. I know this is biased as I have not visited Auckland, but this is also something I've heard from my host, who has been to Auckland. 

The great thing about Wellington is that it's beautiful AND walk-able.The city centre is located along the harbour and you can walk right along the waterfront. Most of the main attractions, the railway and bus station and one of the inter-island ferries are along or within walking distance of the waterfront footpath. 

Queen's Wharf Waterfront

My first stop was to Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum and art gallery. There are lots of museums in Wellington (and the bonus is many of them are free), but if you're going to visit Wellington I highly advise putting Te Papa on your list of places to go. It's very easy to spend hours here (I spent about 2 and I was rushing). There are lots of exhibitions about New Zealand's geography, wildlife, history, art and culture. It also has some nice views of the harbour (the photo above was take from one of the windows in the Museum). 

Now this wouldn't be a post about Wellington if I didn't mention it's cafe culture. In New Zealand cafes, you get your own glass of water. There usually is a tap with some glasses beside it, so you can serve yourself. When you're finished your meal and are ready to leave, you walk up to the cash register to pay and tipping is not mandatory. According to Lonely Planet Wellington has more cafes, pubs and restaurants per capita than New York. As I have never been to New York, I cannot confirm whether or not this is accurate, but there definitely were a lot. The day I visited Wellington was the same day as the All Blacks vs. South Africa rugby match, so most of the pubs were filled with black and white jerseys. I think it's important to remember that when your travelling that you can eat at Starbucks, Burger King or McDonald's almost anywhere. We often have a tendency to flock to things that are familiar to us, but since you're probably not going to see this city again, try something new. Honestly, in 10 years you're likely not going to remember what that tea and sandwich tasted like, but at least you can say you did it and not have to think of what could have been. 

After lunch, I explored the Beehive and Parliament Buildings, the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere (Old Government Building) and Old St. Paul's Anglican Church. 

Old Parliament Building now a Law School

The Beehive and Parliament Buildings 

Old St. Paul's Anglican Church and Historic Site

Unfortunately, this was all the time I was able to spend in Wellington, but I will have plenty of other weekends to visit other iconic locations. Time to go home and watch a rugby game!