Wellington

The journey went smoothly through the strait. We enjoyed the 3.5 hours on the sun deck and pulled out the Hawaii travel guide. Since we still have a lot to organize and island knowledge is required for that, we'll read through the book.

Spit out in the center of Wellington, we set out to find a decent parking space. Then we explored the city on foot. A few memories from the visit 10 years ago came back, but in general, we were able to rediscover Welly (as the locals call the city). A super beautiful and long esplanade has been built. With many cafes, bars, and seating areas. A cemetery in the middle of the city, divided by the highway, gives an idea of how small it used to be here.

Despite the wonderful weather, we undertook the main bad weather activity, we went to the Te Papa Museum. On different floors, attractive exhibitions show everything about the island, the country, the geological constellations, and the people. The earthquake simulators were particularly impressive, allowing you to experience an earthquake up close. Due to the tectonic plates in New Zealand, it is a topic that is ever-present.

For overnight accommodation, we drove to Masterton. Jacqueline's primary school teacher (2nd and 3rd grade) emigrated 17 years ago and we were allowed to stay with them, just like 10 years ago. After a delicious dinner, we packed up all our belongings to sleep in the furnished tent. Arriving at the tent with a blanket and pillow under our arms, two spiders crawled over the mattress as we entered, so the question of who sleeps on which side was no longer relevant. We returned to our spider-free bus. One advantage was that we could observe the supermoon directly from the bus. In the morning, we were allowed to visit Bolly's bakery, which he has built with much love, and they bake delicious pizzas every Friday (up to 180 pieces per evening)!"