New Zealand: Wellington

From Nelson we bused to Picton to catch the ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington. Goodbye South Island, hello North Island! We were finally in a city. All the places on the South Island we visited are actually villages, or towns, at the most. Wellington, the capital of New Zealand because of its central location, is actually a pretty small capital city. At its core, it has much in common with all the other towns in New Zealand;that is, minimal residential in the CBD (Central Business District), a luxury afforded only by the New World.

Our bus ticket from Nelson to Wellington included passage on a Cook Strait ferry, the Interislander. We expected the bus to roll onto the ferry at Picton with us onboard, and drop us off at Wellington Railway Station. But no, the bus dropped us off at Picton, we walked onto the ferry, and then a free shuttle bus met us at the ferry terminal and took us to the CBD.






The ferry trip was about 3 hours. The sea was blue and beautiful, and the ferry was a beast.






Pulling into Wellington Harbour (below). Lots of pine logs ready to load.




Wellington CBD had many lovely Art Deco and Modernist buildings. Here are four: Hotel Waterloo, Defense House, Kisa, and the Central








The Harbour.


Lunch at Aunty Mena's Vegetarian Restaurant was super delish. The Veg Chicken Laksa was particularly tasty (below), and even better with a bit of homemade hot sauce with chopped mushrooms and chou-dou (stinky beans / parkia).






In the CBD there are public buses everywhere.