With nothing serious planned for today I was going to have a relaxing morning, but the fact some people who I was travelling on the kiwi bus with were leaving early meant I got woken up. After saying my goodbyes I ended up heading out bright and early with my plan of action simply being to explore Wellington. First stop of the morning was the information centre where I picked up my map, but also had a good look at the things to do in Wellington. My hostel did have a list of the top 50 free things to do and top 50 paid things to do, and that guide was pretty much all I needed in the end.
When leaving the information centre I headed back through town to the conservation centre where I looked at the great walks over the country. I was tempted to do one of these but they are difficult to get to and actually are really expensive because they involve staying in these huts. The most cost effective one happens to be on Stewart Island, which I yesterday found out was $198 to get to! From here it was a stop in Burger King where I prepared some geocaches to find over the morning round the Mount Victoria area.
Heading out of town via the harbour side, I headed up the steep suburban streets just out of town until I entered a path for Mount Victoria. Within the matter of minutes I had left skyscrapers and terraced housing for forest tracks mainly used for mountain biking! I followed the path uphill until I reached this car park which led me right to the top of this viewpoint. There were cracking views over the city from here, and I realised the city was actually quite small. I also got a greater understanding of the fault line which is on the hills behind the city. Apparently Wellington is due a major earthquake which is why the city is investing so heavily in management strategies.
From here I headed round this large hilly park area to find some geocaches. It felt just like rural caching with finds being off dirt tracks and in woodland. The pick of the bunch was this puzzle one where you had to work out how to open this bolt to retrieve the logbook. In all I found 6 round the Mount Victoria area. In the end I emerged the other side of the mountain and dropped quickly into the outer suburb of Mirimar. It was a nice walk in the warm sun along the bay here which included lots of interesting sculptures, and on the side of the hill a Wellington sign just like the Hollywood sign.
After passing the airport and the small shopping parade in Mirimar, I arrived at the Weta Caves which is famous for making props and digital effects amongst other things for movies. Being a free attraction, there was an interesting little shop and museum which included props and memorabilia from films such as Lord of the Rings, Narnia and King Kong. Also included was a half hour film screening which was set in a dark room surrounded by props from Narnia and Lord of the Rings, which went into detail about the history of the company. It showed so many little things like how they make props, effects and future projects. Other films they have been involved in include Avatar, Adventures of TinTin and even Doctor Who!
All in all the Weta Caves was a very interesting visit and I can see why people call Wellington "Wellywood" now! After leaving the studios which included these massive troll figures, I headed back in Mirimar where I couldn't resist getting a greasy sausage and chips for lunch. It was then back into the city heading back via the Mount Victoria tunnel this time and along the road back to the hostel. I didn't really know where I was going, although I kind of found my hostel by accident! It was here I went back to the hostel to sort out my ever growing collection of leaflets, and also fill up my water bottle.
It was then back into town where I had a better look round the shops in the Cuba Street and Main Street areas, until I reached the cable car ticket office. I didn't go on the cable car, instead traversing my way up the hill getting many good photos of this distinctive feature of Wellington. When at top I looked at the observatory, which had with it more views over the city, this time in the other direction. I then headed to the cable car station where I had a good look round the museum which detailed the cars history as well as a few restored exhibits.
My next stop was a walk round the botanical gardens which once again was well worth a look featuring many flowers and trees, along with a wetland area at the bottom. After finding the two caches here, it was back to the cable car where I headed back down into town finding a further two caches. Time was getting on by now so I took a brief glimpse at the parliament buildings and main business skyline before heading back to the harbour side. From here I walked back along to the hostel where I met a few people which had stayed behind from the bus.
The evening was spent catching up on my blog once again, before further developing my cooking skills by making a jacket potato with beans. I then headed out to burger king once again, my WiFi hub where I spent a while catching up on things, which eventually finished with me going night caching in the city. An increasing thing that is happening is cold evenings and mornings, and tonight was no exception as I found the four nearby caches. I am still getting away with shorts in the evenings but I don't think I will as I head further south! The call my most southerly stop the gateway to Antarctica! When returning to my room there seemed to be some kind of party going on, which included people from Iceland which was new to me. Luckily they left, eventually, and I was able to get to bed.
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