What an awesome 30 hours. The weather for the flight from Queenstown was supposed to be really bad, but it was bright blue skies all the way. The cost of the trip would have pretty much been worth it even if I had ended up in the same place, just for the scenery. On takeoff, it was really cool how long it took us to get up above the Ben Lomond summit. I got some cool pictures of the mountain I hiked on Wednesday (was it Wednesday? the days are beginning to blend). Mt. Cook was huge, and it was crazy how fast we covered the distance I had taken by bus just a few days earlier.
Wellington is sweet. Totally hip, relaxed small city. I can’t really compare it to anything… the hills look a bit California-esque (you can tell they have earthquakes here from the landscape), but the people I’ve seen today are so diverse and laid-back. Te Papa is a pretty cool museum. The cable car/funicular reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh - really boring ride, really great view at the top.
But the best part — I’m crashing on the couch at Eli’s. Quick background– Eli Levine is a friend from when I was traveling in Europe. I met him and his friend Mel when we stayed together in the same apartment in the Cinque Terre in Italy, and they were so cool that I ended up traveling around with them for a while, and met back up with them in Amsterdam. Anyway, Eli is super cool and he and Jasmine (his Aussie girlfriend) are living here in Wellington. They fell in love at a summer camp in Oregon. He couldn’t get a work visa in Australia after college. She couldn’t get a work visa for the States. So they had to move to a third location just to be together!!! Rediculous. But very cool, and they’ve graciously offered me a sleeping bag and a comfy couch to crash on for a few nights. It is really great to see a familiar face and joke around.
Last night the three of us went to watch a football match (that’s Super 12 Rugby) between the Hurricanes (from here in windy Wellington) and the Crusaders (from I think Canterbury). Sean, Eli’s friend from work, explained enough of the game that I think I have a real feel for it now. Unbelievably interesting and fun game to watch. The players are extreme athletes. No pads. Not even cups. (!!!!) Hard core.
Another gorgeous day out today. I’m going to wrap this up and go shopping for some groceries so I can cook dinner for Eli and Jasmine tonight– they went out on a daylong date somewhere across the bay. 