We farewelled Napier with the kids full of chocolate and set off for one of the largest legs of driving on our trip (smart huh?). We found some fantastic parks, incongruously situated in some fairly average-looking towns. For example, the township of Woodville boasted a playground that included see-saws, giant slides as well as mini-flying foxes (I don't think safety standards are a big thing over here) - all set in a vast grassed area surrounded by trees. We then noted some teen locals wandering past in ugg boots swigging beer (quaint), before returning to their place of residence, sporting both lounge on the front verandah and non-functional car on the front lawn.
As we got closer to Wellington, we crested the Rimutaka Ranges. The glorified goat-track was rendered even more exciting by the fact it was at cloud-level. I think Jen has left some finger-indentations on the dashboard.
The Wellington locals seem mad for a spot of mountain-top building - some fairly major dwellings clustered at the very pinnacle of some seriously steep peaks. The weather was bleak, so once we deposited our luggage in our apartment (complete with motor-way views!), we went in search of Te Papa (The National Museum). The search was made a little more entertaining by a series of one-way streets (some of which became such at only certain times of the day).
Te Papa was very well set out, but due to our 6 hour trip, we arrived with only about an hour and a half left until closing. As it turned out, this suited our energy levels nicely, grabbing something to eat before retiring for the evening. Tomorrow we set off for the balmy South Island, aboard one of those Ice-breakers I believe...
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