Wellington - Toilets, Beaches & Co

Since the last post is actually quite old and then something annoying like New Year happened: first of all a Happy New Year (2019) to everyone!

New Year's Eve was relatively boring for me: I went hiking, the others were lying on the beach. In the evening, we opened wine bottles and I retreated to the room until midnight. Then you could imagine a small fireworks in Paihia through the trees, we congratulated each other and then I went to sleep.

And now it's 2019.

Oh man, how quickly time can fly. I have been here in New Zealand for a total of four months now. I don't know what that means.

Oh well, with the turn of the year came the realization that the journey would soon continue - the South Island is calling me.
So yesterday it was again time to pack (somehow there was still plenty of space this time) and say goodbye. Then I somehow made it back to Auckland (it was raining by the way - I hate this city) and from there I booked a night bus to Wellington.

I have to admit that it wasn't so bad. You could actually lie down, it was a bit cramped, but once I fell asleep, nothing bothered me anymore.
The bus was supposed to arrive in Wellington at 7:45 in the morning. Fifteen minutes before that, we stopped at the northern edge of Wellington and a large group of people got off. Only a small group of people (including me) didn't realize that this was already the final stop, so we looked pretty stupid when we were kicked off by the bus driver. He definitely didn't sleep well...

Sweaty and with a disgusting taste in my mouth, I stood in Central Station and had to somehow get 5km south with all my luggage. The bus ticket cost $5, it wasn't worth it to me, so I walked. I hate that.
After a good hour, my back, shoulders, and arms hurt from all my luggage and I was thirsty and hungry. But I had arrived.
My host (yes, Couchsurfing again) was at work, but I was told to feel at home. You don't turn something like that down.
Then I set out to get a first impression of the capital. Sniff the air, feel the vibes - that kind of thing.

What caught my eye first: Wellington is a city.

Of course Wellington is a city, but it's a proper city. I think it's because of the long straight streets and the tall buildings, which is otherwise very atypical for New Zealand and I've only seen it in - bingo, Auckland.

But Wellington is much more beautiful than Auckland, the city has a soul. You can see that in many little things: tiny decorations on street lamps, artistically designed house walls, and... talking toilets.

No joke.

After a short time, I ended up in the toilet house at the War Memorial, not in the bushes. The doors already reacted to hand movement and inside a nice (male) voice explained to me how to lock the door. Then nice classical music played, so you could almost relax because the door would definitely unlock after 10 minutes at the latest. Thanks for the hint.
And, no joke, at the end you're dismissed with a 'Have a nice day'. I really don't know what to make of that...

At the Visitor Centre, as usual, I equipped myself with brochures and a city map and then I just started strolling.
Cuba Street stood out with its creativity and vibrant colors. Sometimes there was a beautiful house here and there as well.

But it really became impressive again at the Waterfront. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the water looked tempting. At this point, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
I actually went to the museum (not the big famous one, that's tomorrow!), but it was boring.
Much more exciting was watching the stingrays in the harbor as they sunbathed. I have never felt so connected to a stingray...

The beaches in Wellington were hopelessly overcrowded, but who can blame the people? A good idea: there is a 3m tower at the harbor from which you can jump into the cool water. I will give that a try as well.
Today I didn't plan anything else in the city. Besides, I still had to go shopping and take care of a few things, hiking on the South Island and so on.

Tomorrow I will definitely go up to the city mountain, Mt Victoria. It is said to offer a wonderful view and I believe it immediately. Then the Te Papa, the famous museum, is also on the list, as are the Cable Car, the Botanical Garden, and the Parliament. Let's see how much I'll manage to do tomorrow!