Poached eggs – apparently non-trivial to make

After the familiar routine of checking out (I think I can pack my usb-chargers blindfolded at this stage), we left the van and instead took a stroll along Cuba street. We found a lovely comic shop called Graphic Comics where dad got Tintin plasters – Mona looked at some Modesty Blaise and yours truly was thumbing a Xcom2 Artbook and considered a Zelda book but in the end left empty-handed.

We walked on until we reached Loretta where we had some breakfast – lovely muesli for me and amazing poached eggs according to Mona and parents were happy with bacon and eggs as well. Wellington and Cuba street had more to offer but we needed to get going if we were to reach New Plymouth tonight and we needed to return the cars at 14:00 as well. On the way back to the apartment I passed a Kathmandu shop which I quickly skimmed, a merino beanie later we got the car and drove off to Wellington Jucy to switch the van to two “Travella” cars which conveniently could fit the stroller in the trunk this time.

We split up since it was a bit of a gamble how Juni would handle five hours in a car and we might need a few more and longer stops then the parents.

Juni however behaved like a charm and we only had one stop at Whanganui where the lunch offers were a bit better than the smallest villages we had passed previously. Unfortunately we had missed the time window for lunch but was still too early for dinner so in the end there weren’t that many open places and the one we ended up going to, Stellar, only had the pub menu so Pizzas it was. Not bad though and after stocking up on baby items in the nearby supermarket we continued the drive.

Salmon on a pizza you say? Well, why not…

We arrived in New Plymouth at Janelle’s parents house almost at the exact same time as my parents and were met and offered pasta done á la minute by Jonte and a lovely glass of red to go with that. Juni got a plush sheep (but of course) as a present from Janelle’s parents in addition to some other assorted toys so it was happiness all around. The house is surrounded by a large garden and secluded by high trees and one almost feels like living in the tree tops looking out from the deck or dining room. The rest of the evening we spent chatting and having a good time with the Janelle’s family who were excellent hosts.

Balcony for outside breakfast, big-ass TV and proper sofa – not bad for a hotel living room.

It was again time to check out, a shame to leave such a nice apartment after so little time but all good things come to an end.

With my father’s and my own love for buffers we ended up with plenty of time to go before the ferry left. We had some lighter breakfast on the ferry but it wasn’t long until I realized I should have brought my iPad when leaving the car deck but I passed the time by snapping some photos and playing with Juni. All in all a rather eventless journey to Wellington.

Bye Bye Southern Island!

We arrived safe in Wellington, which had a bit more intense traffic than previous cities – the capital after all. After some minor detours we reached the apartment that mother had booked, Boulcott Suites, which conveniently had a washing machine. We threw some in together with the washing powder satchel and to make the most out of Wellington we went out on the streets again.

The main highlight of the day was Te Papa Tongarewa (Mueseum of New Zealand), but due to our weak bodies and souls we had to stop at Mac’s Brewery for something to eat and drink on the way. Outside the brewery there was some sort of indigenous (I assumed) drumming/dancing event outside – it struck me as interesting that I saw no Maori people there so perhaps I’m wrong.

Culture appropriation or celebrating New Zealand origins – you decide

Mmmm beer

After enjoying Mac’s we finally got to Te Papa where we aimlessly strolled for a few minutes until we realized this would not be possible to get a decent idea of so we managed to get a late express guided tour. We were the only ones for the tour which suited us great – too much to see in 90 minutes so perhaps come back one day.

After seeing a Kraken wannabe aka the world largest squid carcass and various Maori culture the museum had to close so we walked back home for, drumroll, chilling and reading. And of course we realized that just because a satchel has the label biodegradable it doesn’t mean one should put the whole bag in – lesson learned and another attempt of washing was initiated…

All things come to an end and it was time to start heading off the southern Island, but we managed to book a half-day of kayaking in Abel Tasman before that so off we drove after checking out. Abel Tasman is a rather large area where one easily could spend weeks trekking or kayaking but time was limited so we went for the main event, seeing split apple rock, combined with a bit of kayaking.

We had lunch at a café called Shoreline, and obviously had to play the song (went for Anna Ternheim’s cover) while waiting for the food. After finishing food it was time to wait for Kayaking tour (Kaiteriteri Kayaks) to get sorted out which took some time unfortunately – which always seems to be the case whenever there a group activities and at least it wasn’t our fault this time.

Howdy Partner!

After a quick and efficient safety walkthrough we were off in the water – mental note is to go for the dry-jackets rather than use the pro-shell next time. Or at least ensure the cuffs are tight since it wasn’t long before I got a nice splash of water on the inside and got soaked. It wasn’t really cold while moving but let’s just say I’d rather not take a swim just yet.

The Split Apple Rock of course had it’s local story of how it came about, something about a sea-monster egg and gods of land and sea competing and accidentally hitting it so it cracked – geologist claim there was a streak of softer rock and sometime during the previous ice age it cracked due to ice pushing the other halves apart. Nevertheless, a impressing piece of rock.

After tea and slacking at the beach we paddled back, still as a married couple, despite only one of us had blisters afterwards and sore while both claiming to worked hard and synchronized.

It was a good half-day and after meeting up with parents and Juni we packed the car and I switched to dry clothes and headed off towards Picton. We went for the older, more scenic, route and stopped to look at the view a few times as dusk sat in. Finally we reached Picton and checked in at what our neighbor called “The Penthouse” – a really nice flat that we would use over the night but at least dad could get some hours of sports from the TV.