21/06/2018 - Candlelight, Museums, and Football

A few days ago, we changed campsites. But before leaving the peaceful "Petone", we went to the library again. While I was writing about past experiences, Tobi went to the hairdresser. After his hair was cut and a new blog was online, we drove across the city of "Wellington" to reach "Shelly Bay" on the other side of town. With enough supplies in our luggage, we checked into the "Camp Wellington & Coastal Lodge" for the next four nights. We were greeted by the very friendly owner, Simon. He showed us around all the rooms, emphasized the house rules, and gave us plenty of tips for the area. After parking the car, we took a closer look at the accommodation.

The camper spots are located in the garden of the lodge. In addition to the bedrooms, there is a unisex bathroom and a spacious living and dining area with a kitchen in the building complex. These facilities are shared by all residents and campers.
The fact that blue fairy penguins nest under the lodge and can occasionally be heard at dusk made the place even more charming.

For dinner, we went to the inviting and cozy lodge. In addition to the luxury of being in a heated living room, we met backpackers from all over the world. Many "Wellingtonians" also stay here. - You were never alone for long. ;)
After cooking and enjoying dinner, we went back out into the cold, dark world to the car. There was a great surprise waiting for us on site. The illuminated houses on the opposite side of the harbor formed a beautiful sea of lights. :) This successfully diverted our attention from the cold winds.

After bidding farewell to the arrival day with these images, we visited the city center of Wellington yesterday. Thanks to Simon's advice, we found a free parking space and only had to walk 25 minutes to reach the city center.
Our first stop was the "Wellington Museum". Here, the history and development of the capital are told in detail. One focus of the exhibition was the ferry disaster in 1968. The "Wahine" sank off the coast of the city - during a storm, it collided with a reef. More than 50 people lost their lives in this tragic accident. Various newspaper articles reported on this day. The museum also presented a brief live broadcast of the tragedy and the chronology of the sinking. We also admired impressive Maori art and historical treasures.
After two hours, we moved on to the "City Art Gallery". At that time, there was an exhibition with the motto "This is New Zealand". Various artists have explored their homeland and captured their personal perception of it in paintings. We not only liked the modern exhibition design, but also the thirty-minute film. The short compilation depicted the history of the country, from the arrival of the first indigenous people, through the development of industry, the colorful 70s, to present-day New Zealand with all its flora and fauna.
The next highlight of the exhibition was a wooden piano called "He Korero Purakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu", which means "Story of a New Zealand River". It took over ten years to complete the piano. In 2011, it was finished by an artist from Auckland. In addition to the traditional Maori carvings and decorations, the (bright red) color immediately catches one's eye.
We saw a handful of people sitting around the piano, apparently waiting. Just a few moments later, three musicians joined them. We quickly grabbed another chair and joined the small group. The pianist was joined by a violinist and a cellist. The tiny orchestra tuned briefly and then played the first song. Wow, it sounded amazing! Listening to the three of them was delightful, every single note was so clear. Unfortunately, their free performance ended after two songs. Nevertheless, we felt very lucky to have been there and to have heard the impressive piano in action!
In the late afternoon, we left the gallery and walked back to the car at the marina. For dinner, we wanted something heartier. We had mashed parsley potatoes with mustard sauce and boiled eggs. Yummy!

"Windy Welly" lived up to its nickname this morning. Because of the strong winds and light rain, we took advantage of the availability of a heated accommodation and went to the living room of the lodge. At that time, one thing connected all the residents - the World Cup in Russia. In the past few days, Simon, the owner of the lodge, had turned on his projector several times to watch games that had already been played. So we were able to follow some of the World Cup matches after all. :)
At lunchtime, the stormy weather took a little break. We took this opportunity to explore the surrounding area. For example, we visited the "Point Halswell Lighthouse" located at the tip of the peninsula (Shelly Bay). We also reached a monument dedicated to a former head of state. The "Massey Memorial" was built on a small hill. From up here, there was a beautiful view of Wellington Harbor and the adjacent neighborhoods, which formed a sea of lights in the evening.