I got into Wellington with enough to check into my hostel before meeting Kathryn, an IES girl who was also in Wellington, for dinner. I got a burrito and a cocktail - definitely a change from soup the past couple nights! We decided to hit up Te Papa - the museum in Wellington and known as the best in NZ - since it's open late on Thursday nights. We went around the second floor, which is about how New Zealand was formed as well as the animals that inhabit (or used to inhabit) NZ. After the museum, we decided to part ways and go off to bed since the next day was to be an early one.
I had a really awful night's sleep that night, so I was eager to get up and out of my room by 7:30am. Kathryn and I weren't meeting until 8:30am, so I sat in a cafe with my muffin and cappuccino until we caught the bus to Weta Cave.Weta Cave is not exactly as I was expecting it. Weta has been a huge factor in many movies - the most well known being LOTR and King Kong. It's in a house though; I was expecting a museum. However, there were lots of figures and models up, including good ol' Golem. Also, did I mention we were there so early that we had to wait for it to open at 9am? Yeah. We also got to watch a video about Weta which was cool.
After Weta we took the bus back to the city and went to the rest of Te Papa. We learned all about how humans have impacted New Zealand even though people have only lived here for like 800 years? And about Maori and non-Maori culture, and contemporary New Zealand art. With only a short lunch break, four and a half hours later we were definitely museum-ed out and went to cafe and talked for a while. Then we explored some secondhand book shops (which seriously reminded me of the library in Beauty and the Beast) and ate free dinner of questionable mac and cheese at my hostel. We ate with a girl who slept above me last night, and wound up going for gelato with her. Ohmygoodness it was so good. ugh. I want some now. Then I went back to the hostel and went to bed after talking to more of my dormmates. Very exciting.
Kathryn went home on Saturday, so I was solo again! I was planning on going up to Mount Victoria but it was raining, so I sat in cafe for most of the morning and read Water for Elephants - which was excellent, if I do say so myself. I then wandered to Frank Kitt's Underground market by the harbor and browsed through all of the crafts that they sell there. I bought several souvenir gifts for people there too. :) I had a crêpe and a BLT before stopping at the grocery store and my hostel. Then headed to the rest of my day!I took the Cable Car up to the Botanic Gardens. The Cable Car pretty much takes you up the huge hill in Wellington, it's a historic thing. They have a whole museum on it, but I didn't go in it. The Cable Car was cool. I was happy because being a NZ student gives me so many discounts.. only $2 round trip. Cheaper than the bus!
I walked around the Botanic Gardens for a while. Since it's winter, not many flowers were visible, but the plants were very green since it had been raining. I particularly enjoyed the cactus garden - besides getting poked in the face when I got too close. Hmm.
I also stopped in the cafe near the rose gardens at the bottom of the hill and got the best Chai Latte ever. So delicious.
Then I walked back up the hill to the Carter Observatory. Which is basically the planetarium. I don't think I've been to the planetarium since about fifth grade, but I was really excited to go. There was lots of basic information about the universe and galaxies and planets - but it was cool because there were all sorts of Maori influence in the observatory. The Maori used the stars to navigate around the Pacific, so there were Maori constellations, as well as Maori names for things and Maori myths about how the universe was created - including more about Papa-tu-a-nuku and Ranganui! Seriously, like review of Kapa Haka all over the place. The observatory was small but quaint. I really enjoyed it. There was a presentation after I looked around and learned how to find Matariki. Matariki marks the Maori new year and is only visible early to mid-June. The guide showed us how to find it, but I don't really remember anymore. it was cool to learn about though.
After the observatory I made my way back down the Cable Car and to my hostel. I ate my free dinner and then didn't really know what to do. I wound up talking to a Canadian in my hostel for like five hours. It was interesting.. he was an exchange student in Melbourne. And basically hates Americans. Really started my thinking about how Americans take the blame for so much which is our fault as a whole but not always individually; you can't confuse people with politics. Because this person totally did. He told me he hates America because of our politics and our political system. Just because I'm American, doesn't mean I'm suppressing poor people and social programs and having the "**** yeah, America is the best country ever" attitude and don't care about the world. And it's so unfair that no matter what, I'm associated with that. I've encountered more American distaste than I thought I would. Maybe it's because I'm a tree-hugging feminist who believes in things like universal healthcare, gay marriage (no, not civil unions, marriage), being culturally tolerant, and trying to overcome prejudices, but the amount of blame put on me from others because I am American astonishes me. I don't really perpetuate the negative American archetype. It's sad that as an American, I constantly have to apologize for my culture and the people from America. I'm taught that I shouldn't be proud of my culture and nationality because as a whole, we don't always do the right thing. But you know something? Studying abroad has actually made me more proud of where I come from and who I am. I can't help where I was born; all I can do it support and rally for positive changes. I don't assume every Middle Eastern person is a terrorist or that all Mexicans are "stealing American jobs" as some do. It's not true. People are not politics, and differing individuals make up cultures; it is unfair to assume things about people because of where they come from. I am proud of the arts, such as dance and music, and quality of healthcare in America. Anyway. I'm going to stop on this tangent before I keep repeating myself.Anyway. Right. So Sunday I got up at 6am to walk to the Railway Station and take the train back to Auckland from Wellington. It was an eleven and a half hour train ride. I probably slept for at least twenty minutes out of every hour of the ride. I was bummed because it was cloudy/rainy for a good part of the trip, so I didn't see any of the mountains in Tongariro National Park. Boo. Also, seeing fat, wooly sheep clumsily gallop away from the train (that wouldn't have touched them anyway) was hilarious. And cows! I'd never seen cows run before.. but yeah. Got back home in Auckland. The train was nice, but I was very happy to get off the train and get back to my flat.
HOORAY finished writing about this trip! :) It was fabulous, and I loved traveling alone for the msot part. I got to do what I wanted, when I wanted. It was nice to meet up with Kathryn for part of Wellington, but the fact that I enjoyed traveling alone makes me excited for Australia..
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