Winter in Wellington

Even though we've been in Wellington nearly three weeks, it still feels like we have a long way to go before we are settled. We are enjoying this flat, but knowing that we have to move again at the end of August keeps it from feeling like our own. Steve has been commuting by bike to work most days. I drove him today though - it is a super stormy day where the wind is gusting, rain is lashing, and the waves are crashing over the road leaving behind driftwood and seashells. It's fun to watch from the indoors, but not the best for cycling. It may be stormier here in Wgtn, but overall, the temperatures are noticeably milder here than in Nelson and it feels much less like a true winter.

Here is a little map to show you our current whereabouts (like the pictures, click on it to see a larger version).

It is about a 25 min drive to Wellington; there is a little ferry that goes from one side of the bay to the other, but it is $10 per person each way, so not the most economical.

The hills behind us are filled with trails and I went exploring one day last week. This is a view from one of the trails, looking out towards Lower Hutt.

This is the view from our current flat - the hills are on the other side of the Wellington Harbour, and on clear days you can see some snowy mountain peaks in the distance. These are the Kaikoura Ranges, on the east coast of the South Island.

Here is Steve with his new best friend, Falafel. Much to our dismay, she is quite cuddly and loves to snuggle when you are reading on the couch.

It's hard to believe we have been here nearly 7 months already. While here we have often commented on the things that seem uniquely Kiwi to us. We always mean to get pictures, but rarely remember. However, we do have a few pictures of things that have stood out to us. The first, is the hedgehog.

Now, I know there are hedgehogs in other parts of the world, but this is the first place we have ever actually seen them. This little guy lived at the cottage in Nelson and could be heard foraging through the leaves at night. They look quite cute, but we've heard they're covered in ringworm and fleas! Another infamous imported pest is the possum, and although we have heard them and seen many as roadkill, we haven't seen one alive yet.

The mailmen here are called "posties" and of course, they deliver the post, not the mail. In some parts of NZ they ride these red bikes, in others they ride around on little red motorcycles.

We've always been amazed and impressed with the selection of dog food at grocery stores. This is one example of the many yummy doggy meals. The big beef bones on the bottom left are about $3.

The other thing that stood out to us in grocery stores is that the eggs aren't in a chilled section, they are just on aisle shelves with all the other baking supplies.

We will continue to keep our eyes open for all things Kiwi-esque, but not all can be captured on film. Many expressions and pronunciations are new to us and either leave us totally confused or laughing our heads off. We'll have to start writing them down...