-Chapter 27- Christmas in Wellington

On the way, it started raining, and the old problem of heavy backpacks reappeared. Every 50 meters, we sat down like old pensioners on park benches or stopped to take turns. Completely out of breath, we arrived at the hotel reception. The nice receptionist chatted with us a bit, and that is, as we all know, my strength. He asked questions like why we are in Wellington, where we come from, and if we have plans for Christmas, to which I mechanically replied: "just travel", "Germany", "no plans". The hotel was great. It had a wonderful location right on the main shopping street in Wellington. Although it was so cheap, the room was perfectly fine and when we arrived in the hotel room, we realized what nonsense we had packed in a hurry: towels, our mugs, and the camping stove with pots and pans.

We had three great days, in which we went to the harbor, to Lambton Quay, a wide street that reminded me of Kurfürstendamm, and especially stayed on Cuba Street. On the 24th, we considered doing something, but then decided to simply stroll through the shops. Real Christmas spirit doesn't really come without Christmas markets, Christmas trees, snow, or at least cold in New Zealand. At least in the shops it was a bit Christmassy. It was cozy and crowded, and we were bombarded with Christmas songs from all sides. We went through all the stores we liked without buying anything, until in the end we bought everything we wanted at Countdown. For example, strawberries and cupcakes, which we had passed by on every shopping trip. In the evening, we ate at a Mexican restaurant next to the hotel, then we unpacked our Christmas presents and happily called our families.

                   -> to be continued