After saying goodbye to kith and kin, we left the U.S. on Tuesday, July 26 and flew for 26 hours (hop to Charlotte, then on to L.A., then Auckland) and, finally, arrived in Wellington, a little bleary, on Thursday, July 28. The view flying in was amazing--blue-green water and rocky coastline, then over a snow-covered peak (Mt. Egmont) and on into Wellington. A representative from Central Coastal Mental Health picked us up at the airport and schlepped us to the Southgate Motor Inn in Newtown. Hills rising up over the bay, dotted with houses gave way to our somewhat grungy, ethnically diverse and funky little neighborhood. It's a neighborhood of homeless shelters, little bakeries, thrift shops, and tiny restaurants with names like Fresh Fins and Curry Heaven.
Our first day out we spent at the waterfront--windy and sunny, around 60 degrees, boats in the bay and the mountains behind. Walked along reading the plaques and watching the people drinking coffee in cafes, children playing on a lighthouse jungle gym. We walked into Te Papa, the national museum (it means "our place") but decided to save it for another day when the weather was less beautiful. Instead we rode the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens where we walked thru a "gully" of pristine forest and sniffed daphne and camellias, marveled that roses were blooming in the midst of winter and checked out "the peace flame" lantern on the water which came from the fires of Hiroshima.
The next day we visited the amazing bachelor pad of the dr. who is leaving and drank in his advice on all the ins and outs of living and working in Wellington. We've been cooking in the tiny pots of our efficiency, looking for an apt on Trade Me (the NZ version of Craigslist), watching the All-Blacks play the South African Springboks in rugby on TV, and trying to learn to say our vowels properly.
Today we visited the local Friends Center and attended Wellington Friends Meeting. (We might have recognized those Quakers anywhere by their unpretentious attitudes and sensible shoes.) We also saw an apt. that gave me hope we might leave the Southgate and find a place to light sometime soon. We are missing family and friends (and especially Fenn) and are still trying to figure out the phone thing and how to put pictures on this blog but are still excited to be here and are trying to be as open as possible to this adventure. This is just another way to bring you with us.
