Finding treasure, and a ferry crossing

A surprisingly quiet night given our urban location, and, hurrah, a sunny morning. Kevin went out to replenish our wifi and sample a Wellingtonian cappuccino, while Jemima and I did some Disney dancing and I was strong-armed into playing Mary to Jemima's Joseph (she still has fond memories of her playschool nativity). Then we were off on today's mission: Te Papa Tongarewa, or "the treasure box of this land", NZ's National Museum, and famous for its kid-friendly exhibits. 

And rightly so. Loads of things to push, pull, press and climb in the natural history section, all about NZ's flora, fauna, and geology, including a shaking house to simulate a force 5 aftershock (they are very hot on their earthquakes, if you'll excuse the pun - at Whanganui there were signs up pointing to the nearest tsunami safe zones). Then outdoors into Bush City, a recreation of NZ's landscapes with a waterfall, swamp, volcanic rock, greywacke wall, swing bridge (more fun jogging mummy), sandpit to dig for fossils, and a cave with moa bones, stalagmites and stalactites and - best of all - fake glow worms that dimmed when you made a noise - we were there for quite a while. So great to have an outdoors exhibition at a museum - only possible in a warm climate.

After lunch it was the special exhibition: Bug Lab, produced in partnership with Weta, the special effects people behind Lord of the Rings (which is its own tourist thing here - tours of various film locations are advertised everywhere). It was spectacular - four walk-in pods enclosing a camouflaged orchid mantis waiting to pounce; a moving, whirling dragonfly, frog and fish eye-tricking show (we couldn't work it out at all); Japanese honeybees fighting off an enormous evil-looking hornet; and a gruesome scene of a jewel wasp "zombie-fying" a cockroach by injecting venom in his brain so she could seal him up alive with her egg, so he provided a food source for her young when it hatched. And these were interspersed with little hands-on tables, something to touch or pull or play with, focussing on venom or hive minds or the amazing properties of a dragonfly's wing. Brilliant.

Next up, Storytime: an extra 45 minute session for the under 5s. Through the doors, it looked like a small green curtained room, with a friendly lady reading The Hungry Caterpillar. But then she asked the kids to choose a bug costume, pulled back the green curtains, and a kids' wonderland was revealed: a tree slide, a pretend garden, a river with lily pads; and best of all for Jemima, a craft table with glue for sticking! She's been missing that. After making the longest caterpillar in the world, our time was up, and we were back out into the normal museum.

And finally, the Maori floor - for me at least. Kevin took Jemima up to the art gallery for some more playing, while I got my history fix in peace, poring over the various copies of the Treaty of Waitangi from 1840, which was the beginning of the UK's - was it "sovereignty" or "government" (guess which translation had which) - with the marks of over 500 Maori chiefs. Then, Te Papa properly done, we walked back to the motorhome, and drove the short distance to the ferry port. Farewell to North Island.

The ferry was easy - three and a half hours, a better than expected dinner, a children's play room, and a spectacular view, first of Wellington Harbour, then a short patch of open sea, and finally a long passage through the green, unpopulated, and beautiful Marlborough Sounds - islands and crenellated inlets of the mainland, a wonderful introduction to the beauties of South Island. We boarded with a lot of other campers, and also, slightly (hypocritically) distressingly, some lorries packed with sheep who looked out at us through slits in the lorry sides - I am a confirmed meat eater, but we all felt sorry for them. Then a short drive through the dusk, just able to see the difference in the landscape - the road surrounded by jutting hills, so green, completely tree covered, and very few houses. No rolling farmland here. And then the first few vines - this is Marlborough wine country after all. Very tired after a long and busy day, we found our campsite and pitch, and collapsed into bed. We'd see where we were in the light tomorrow.

 

Te Papa - Bush City:

 

 

"The coolest little capital in the world"*

"Mummy, I don't want this rain to happen," said Jemima as we travelled south from Whanganui to Wellington. Neither did we, Jemima, neither did we. Luckily it didn't look like we were missing much: out of the window was a succession of fairly unattractive rural towns (although admittedly not seen at their best through the driving rain). But we had a good (undercover) stopover in mind: the Southern Hemisphere's best car collection at the Southwood Car Museum! A treat for Daddy.

After a car park lunch we rushed in through the rain. Kevin had had the foresight to teach Jemima how to take photos properly on the iPhone, so he wandered at will while she spent a happy hour supervised by me (the fruits of her labour reproduced below - some of which are better than my, admittedly fairly rubbish photography efforts). From the earliest cars, to a wide selection of early 20th century cars, to a large 1970s collection, and everything in between, including motorbikes, an ambulance and a Jeepney from the Philippines - it was huge, and we all enjoyed it in our own way. Then tea and a cookie, and off to Wellington, Jemima listening to story tapes and singing along with the Frozen CD to while away the journey.

The rain finally cleared on our approach, although the sky was still a bit foreboding; but we found our way successfully to our city site - a motorhome car park with electricity but nothing else, right in the centre of Wellington. Kevin got the van successfully into a tiny space, and after a bit of research, called us an Uber (luxury! civilisation!) for Mount Victoria Peak, and a view over Wellington. We had a good perspective on how it's surrounded by various water inlets, and of aeroplanes taking off and landing from a runway that finished in the sea; but the weather wasn't the best for viewing. So back down (in another Uber, lovely), and a regroup before dinner. 

Jemima was a bit tired, grumpy and hungry; so she was fed early with the remains of the spag bol ("YUM!") while Kevin did a recce of the area; then we went out together to explore. This central area of Wellington has a raffish and slightly Bohemian charm, very different from Auckland's clean cut cosmopolitanism. Vintage shops ("Madame Fancy Pants" and the "Paper Bag Princess" being my favourites) rubbed shoulders with coffee shops, tattoo parlours, and pubs, all slightly quirky, graffiti'd, or with a mainly black-and-leather wearing clientele. It was all very lively, and made us want to join in the fun. After some effort (all the interesting little bistros were full, these New Zealanders seem to eat early), we lucked out with a Mediterranean called Loretta's. Open and airy, with a brilliant sprouted white  onion centrepiece and welcoming waitresses, it also had great food: chargrilled-but-pink lamb and sumac skewers with farro, herbs and yoghurt for me; and a clean and crispy tomato pizza for Kevin; and for a post-spag bol Jemima, chocolate and salted peanut ice cream. It was all a little bit different and all very tasty (and memorable for Jemima amusing herself by taking selfie videos doing her own interpretation of the haka, which was hilarious for us all). 

We have a day in Wellington tomorrow before our ferry South. I think I'm going to like it.

*From The Guidebook (The Lonely Planet of course...)