Wellington…the Second Time Around.

Bridget:

After visiting Marlborough wine country we caught the same ferry we took when we first arrived to New Zealand…this heading north across Cook Strait to the capitol city of Wellington.  Seeing the city again for the second time was like heading back to a place with which we were familiar…even though we had only spent our first day in NZ there almost five months ago.  The ferry trip was filled with all the usual activities one might partake of on a boat trip:

Taking in the gorgeous scenery:

Enjoying the available beverages aboard:

And taking a snooze….while Craig watches the Aussie vs. NZ Black Caps cricket match on the telly:

Good times were had by all.  The ferry arrived into the Wellington port around 4 p.m., just enough time to check out some shopping, the capitol building, and a quick trip up Mount Victoria to take in beautiful views of the city and to watch the constant stream of airplanes perform the tricky landing onto the Wellington airport strip:

"The Beehive" New Zealand's Capitol Building

 That night we headed as far north until reaching the first Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite available.  After a good night’s sleep we were ready to drive the rest of the way to Napier… more wine country!  We checked out just a couple wineries this time, just to see how the local reds matched up to the “world class sav blancs in Marlborough.”  We visited Mission Estate and Church Road wineries.  The wine at Church Road may have been better, but the scenery at Mission Estate were top notch:

 

Next Stop:  Tongariro National Park