A Ferry Ride to Windy Wellington

Well everyone, I've made it to Wellington! I left Dunedin on Saturday morning (very early) with hugs from my hottie kiwi flatmates :) Why did I leave again? Slept for most of the 7.5 hour bus ride up the east coast to Kaikoura. Saturday night I slept in Kaikoura, a town known for it's swimming with dolphins and seals, and it's amazing scenery of the mountains by the sea. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and drizzly when I awoke, and thus I saw none of the scenery. No matter though, it was only two hours north on a bus from there to the ferry terminal in Picton and the weather got better the further north I went! Saw lots of New Zealand's wineries on the way.

It was hot and sunny for the ferry ride, which they say is one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. Indeed, the trip through the hilly Marlborough sounds and out across the Cook Strait to the North Island was really beautiful. For the first part of the trip I stayed on deck and watched the albatrosses (albatri?) get out of the way of the huge boat. It got pretty windy though, so I stayed inside to watch as Wellington Harbor came into view. My first night in Wellington I stayed in a hostel in town.

On Monday I went to look at a flat that had been advertised online, loved it, and moved in that afternoon. Lucky me! I had heard rumors about how hard it was to find a flat, so I was in no position to be picky. I'm technically sharing a very large but partitioned room with another girl, but I have my own door and it's very quiet. The room has a bed, desk and chair in it too, which is great :) It beats paying for a hostel... On Tuesday I started work at Motu, and it's a bright sunny office right in the heart of Wellington's cafe district. And it's only a 5 minute walk from my flat! Lucky me again! I feel like I have settled in fairly quickly in the past three days, and can't wait to get out and explore the city. Hope everyone is doing well, and that this warm weather here is reaching it's way north! More from me later!