Cape Palliser and the capital Wellington

Today there is a lot to see. In the last two days, I took a lot of photos and this time it was particularly difficult for me to sort them out. Normally, this experience and the pictures would be enough for two posts :D After leaving the Mount Taranaki region, I continued south towards Wellington. It would have been about two hours drive from my overnight spot to the capital. In the evening, I read a bit in the travel guide to see what to expect there. However, I became aware of Cape Palliser and the decision to visit this cape before Wellington didn't take long. This meant a total detour of about 250 kilometers for me, but it would be absolutely worth it again. Cape Palliser is the southernmost point on the North Island and there was another beautiful lighthouse to admire. A total of 250 steps led up to it and you had a great view of the sea and the surrounding coastline. The real highlight, however, was the seal colony there. Seals are really beautiful, enchanting, and incredibly cute animals, so I spent about three hours watching them and taking photos. Only the weather stopped playing along after a while and so I headed back towards the car. After leaving Cape Palliser towards Wellington, I could proudly say that I had been to the northern (Cape Reinga), western (Cape Egmont), eastern (East Cape), and southernmost point (Cape Palliser) of the North Island. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, it started raining around noon and it didn't stop for the rest of the day. In a very intense and gray rain shower, I arrived in Wellington. Since it was already afternoon and I read the day before that the only free campsite near the city fills up very quickly, I drove directly there. It was located right in the harbor, near a major intersection and the airport. Well, it was noisy, but at least it was free. I will sleep here for the next three nights and then it's time for the ferry. Because of the weather, I didn't leave the campsite anymore that day and planned for the next day instead. My weather app told me that Sunday should be reasonably nice, but rain was expected to return on Monday, so I had to see as much as possible. It helped that Wellington is not very big and the highlights are relatively close together. Only about 190,000 people live in Wellington, significantly fewer than in Auckland. In the early morning, I took the bus towards the city center. After about 20 minutes, I reached it. On this Sunday, there was a great event in Wellington called Open Streets. This was the first time it took place. The main roads in the city center were closed to pedestrians and cyclists, and cars had to stay in these areas. Although you could see that it was a bit strange for the locals to walk on the road, as they mostly stayed on the sidewalk, it was still a great experience. Some children played and drew on the street and various organizations had prepared activities. I enjoyed strolling through the city without worrying about traffic. My first stop was the harbor promenade, where a great market with fresh fruits and vegetables had just opened. A bit further, there were many food stands and there was even Hungarian Langosch and Dutch Poffertjes :D I was already full, but I smiled while passing the stands to a boat where fresh fish was being sold. Wow! Unfortunately, there were no fresh rolls, because I would have found room for them somewhere. After that, I walked along the harbor promenade and back to the car-free city center. I love those days when I walk through a city without a real plan and discover cool corners again and again. I passed a war memorial, some cool street art spots, and walked through the famous Cuba Street. A very hip shopping and dining street with lots of great and interesting shops. I took a short break here and enjoyed some discounted sushi for lunch. After that, I continued to the Cable Car, which was already decorated for Halloween. This cable car took me up to a hill above Wellington. After about 10 minutes with some stops, I arrived at the top. Wellington is very hilly and there are lots of serpentines and tunnels. Only the city center is relatively flat. From up there, I had a great view of the city. Furthermore, I could already spot the ferry that I will be taking tomorrow. In addition, there was a free botanical garden up there. I walked along the hiking trail for about an hour, which led me through the garden, and then went back down. It was already afternoon and I headed to my last destination for the day, Mount Victoria. This is one of the largest mountains in the Wellington area and from the top, you have a fantastic view of the city and the surrounding bays. Since I had already walked a lot, I took the bus this time to get to the top. The journey itself was already an adventure, as the bus driver raced up the serpentines without regard for losses. It was important to hold on tight and try not to get dizzy when looking out. But when I arrived at the top, the view compensated for it. I could see all the way to the airport, the bay where my camper was located, and the city center of Wellington. Wow wow wow! After about 30 minutes, I actually wanted to take the bus back to my camper. However, since it was Sunday and the bus only comes once an hour, I walked the three kilometers downhill back to the camper. When I arrived at the camper, I was completely exhausted again and had to take care of the new blisters from the day with plasters. But every step today was worth it and I discovered some really beautiful places. Wellington is definitely a very beautiful and young city, which I would return to anytime. I still have a full day ahead here today, but since it already started raining lightly when I got up, and I had the idea yesterday to spend today as a museum day, a bus brought me back to the city center in the morning. The great thing about Wellington is that there are many museums and exhibitions that don't charge admission, including the very well-known Te Papa National Museum. So I'm currently sitting in the museum, writing a blog, and will visit the exhibitions afterwards. Tomorrow, I'm taking the ferry to the South Island.