Wellington was really great. We stayed at another hostel. This one was huge but well appointed and we had an en suite bathroom, so it wasn't too bad. The city is adorable and Kara and I are very excited to come back to live there in the winter. It has a great coffee scene and I've heard good things about the craft beer and music scenes too. We went into some of the cutest and most tempting stores in the world. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive (Kara and I were despairing a bit) but we've got hope that we can find two part-time jobs to cobble together and, since minimum wage here is more than I was making at my last job (sob), we can probably manage! We do hear that while the weather doesn't get too cold in winter, the wind gets very, VERY intense. Apparently it comes right through the Cook Strait into the city from Antarctica and it's frigid and even more powerful than Chicago winds. We've got 6 months to prepare!
On Tuesday, I drove Hestia onto a ferry (LITERALLY I DROVE ONTO A BOAT; please note that Kara then drove OFF A BOAT) and we departed for the South Island, where we will spend the summer!
Today we hiked up the "Snout", which is a trail that leads from Picton to the top of one of the landmasses you see in the picture up there. The view is of the Marlborough Sounds.
PLEASE NOTE THOUGH: we will have limited internet while there and potentially no phone service. We'll be updating the blog but our online presence may be sporadic!