Wellington

We camped at Pelorus Bridge DOC Campsite on our last night on the South Island. This one had numbered sites, check-in at the campsite office was required, and there was even a code for the locked bathroom door. We were a little confused after staying at so many DOC Campsites that had little or no structure comparatively, but eventually we got it all figured out and we parked at our relatively sheltered site by the river.

The next morning, we left early to make sure we had plenty of time to drive to Picton and board our ferry to Wellington. This was a good plan, so we had lots of time to take the scenic route between Havelock and Picton, which had beautiful views over the Queen Charlotte Sound.

We arrived with plenty of time, so after we checked in for the ferry and parked in the boarding line, we had about an hour to walk around Picton. First we headed to the Picton Village Bakery for some breakfast pies and then we walked a quick loop through town and back to the ferry.

We boarded the ferry and then settled in for the 3 1/2 hour crossing. First it goes through the scenic Queen Charlotte Sound and the water was very calm and then it heads out into the Cook Strait and over to the North Island. We were fortunate that the conditions on the Cook Strait were moderate, so the crossing was pretty smooth.

Once we arrived in Wellington, we went straight to downtown, parked, and jumped onto the cable car to the Botanic Garden. It’s a short ride to the top, it might have taken longer to stand in the ticket line.

Once at the top, we walked into the Wellington Botanic Garden. The garden is free to enter and has a number of trails and it’s pretty hilly with lots of up and down. It’s also a beautiful garden. I really enjoyed walking around and of course, it was mid-summer so everything was in full bloom.

After strolling through the garden, we walked back down to central Wellington through the Bolton Street Cemetery and ate dinner at Little Penang. I very much enjoyed the Malaysian food, since I don’t get to eat it very often.

After dinner we drove to our Airbnb in the Island Bay neighborhood. It was a lovely spot and the only night we didn’t spend in the campervan aside from Auckland. The one issue is that it was on a narrow very steep street which was a bit scary parking on the street, but the brakes held and there were no issues. We finished the day watching the sunset over the water.

The next morning we drove back to Central Wellington to the Te Papa Museum. We parked in the garage right at the museum which worked out very well. The museum is large, but not quite as jam packed as the Auckland War Museum, with art and history displays.

Conveniently, the Sunday Farmer’s Market is right next to the Te Papa Museum, so after we were done at the museum, we walked over to the farmer’s market for lunch.

After that it was time to head north to Tongariro National Park. Our stop in Wellington was short, but sweet. Of the cities we visited, it was my favorite in New Zealand and it seemed like it would be a great place to hang around, so I would definitely go back and spend more time there.