New Zealand 2016 Day 5. Wanganui to Wellington

Anna woke up feeling out of sorts. She probably got too much sun yesterday, and today she feels flustered and a bit feverish. Note to herself: Get a hat!

We spent the morning visiting the beach of Wanganui, called Castlecliff, which is formed by black volcanic sand and a profusion of wood carved by waves and wind into all sorts of artsy shapes. Truly, Mother Nature is a fabulous artist. Dutifully Anna dipped a finger in the Cook Strait, another small step in the self-appointed task of having dipped a finger or a tow in all the oceans and seas of the world.

A lazy ride of about 3 hours brought us into Wellington, at the south end of the North Island. The city is located in a ria coast, where elongated fluvial valleys, carved along a swarm of active faults, have been flooded by the sea level rise of the last 18,000 years. Fortunately for the modern city, the founders reserved the skyline as a green belt and this has stopped urban encroachment. Each valley is thus a small neighborhood with its own personality and charm.

We are visiting KC and Tim Little here, and thanks to Anna’s amazing navigating skills we arrived at their doorstep at 3:55 pm (we were expected at 4 pm). KC and their son Alvi were at home, and Tim arrived an hour later for a happy reunion. I think the last time I had seen Tim was at Faby and DJ’s wedding, ten years ago, and I had probably not seen KC for 20 years, so we had lots of news to catch on. They happen to live on a ridgeline, overlooking Island Bay on the Cook Strait. It is a lovely location, with lots of sun, but also with sweeping wind (Windy Wellington is the way Kiwis refer to this charming city).

After a great dinner Anna excused herself and went to bed, to finish nursing her mild sun stroke, and KC, Tim and I went for a car ride. Alvi had friends over, for a Dungeons and Dragons kind of game where each of the gamers develops a part of the plot (no computers involved), so he didn’t come with us. Kc drove us to the top of Victoria Hill, where you get a terrific view of Wellington, and its fish-hook shaped harbor. A Maori legend tells about the mythical hero who went out fishing and pulled the North Island out of the sea, which is why Wellington has the shape of a hooked fish. From there we went to the Botanical Gardens, looked at the landscape, and had a fortifying cup of tea at a local pub. We were waiting for nightfall, because as we walked into the pitch black paths of the gardens we were immersed into a magic scene of small points of light generated by a multitude of glowworms. A very nice way to end the day!