Monday in Wellington was overcast and rainy but we needed to get laundry done so that was ok. I found a launderette and somehow managed to find one that was 3 shops away from a quilting and embroidery shop. So deposited Rob in there with the washing and went off to shop!
The weather still had not improved so in the afternoon we went to the Te Papa museum which is the national museum for New Zealand. Each floor was themed and we both particularly loved the devoted to the animals and plants of NZ. There was also a special interactive exhibit around the battle at Galipoli. The 3d models were made at the Weka Studio, where the Lord of the Rings and Avatar models were made. The people were 2.5 bigger to scale, which really enhanced the impact of the scenes. On the walk back to the hotel we came across some yarn bombing and also this strange hand model on the roof of a building!
Tuesday we were up early and on to the ferry to from Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait. The crossing was quite rough and Rob did not do to well! The weather was quite blustery and I did not want to leave him when we got into the calmer waters of the Fjords so we have not pictures but it was really beautiful. We drove down SH 1 to KaiKoura the road closely follows the coast line and so the views across many of the bays were really stunning. We had a nice dinner at one of the local pubs and then got ready for the next day
We were lucky to have good weather today and set off for an 8 mile walk around the KaiKoura peninsula. It was such a varied route, up through forests, over farming headlands and best of all, just under the cliffs along the headland past the Fur Seal and bird colonies. It was pretty special and each turn of the corner brought something new to delight us. We stopped for lunch and then went back to our rooms to relax before going out for another curry tonight. Tomorrow we drive to Nelson and hope to do some hikes at Abel Tasman.
