Wellington

Wellington is a foodie town, and lived up to its reputation.

These fish dishes were done in New Orleans style, at a delicious Southern/Mexican fusion place called Sweet Mother's.   We had to try the New Zealand beers, I had a wheat and mom had a pilsner, both great.  We topped this meal off with Beignets.  Now likely a few pounds heavier than I was at the start of my trip (remember the carbonera pasta and pizzas), I am starting to wonder why skinny jeans seemed like such a good pre-trip purchase.  But everyone is wearing them here.  It turns out you don't actually have to BE skinny to wear them.  Fashion seems almost purposefully random, with lots of mismatched 80s clothes, the women seem to be competing for the 'frumpiest outfit' award. I have yet to get a good pic of this fashion phenom, but will make it my next mission.  

Wellington has a cool vibe, and seems quite international, with Malaysian, Japanese, Indian, and Thai food shops on most corners.  Supposedly, lots of immigrants came over in the 1950s and the 1970s to work in the factories, and have since stayed.  I'm sure plenty more have arrived in recent years, just because of the gorgeous landscape with free schools and healthcare, and virtually no poverty according to the standards of other countries.

The Te Papa Museum, which is New Zealand's National Museum, gave us a great introduction to the history, landscape and challenges faced by contemporary New Zealanders.  What impressed me was how much they care about their land and conservation.  Everyone recycles, and our tourguide spoke about the active forest restoration efforts.  The Far North had forest conservation signs and protect the Kiwi (endangered, I guess) signs up around every corner.  They are like Seattle's nature lovers on steroids.   I would fit right in....just give me some pink stonewashed jeans and I would be good to go.

The Far North

 The Far North

 Kahoe Farms Hostel 

A lovely place, so far removed 

from Auckland, up the winding

roads to the Far North, where

hostel owners Stefano and 

Lydnsey keep a 1889 farmhouse-

turned hostel/hotel.  With cows

mooing at dawn, roosters crowing,

and guests gathering around the 

kitchen table to swap stories of 

their daily travels, this place was

a fabulous entryway to another 

world.  And all this before we 

tasted the food....as italian as its

owner Stefano, who hails from 

Northern Italy's Lago Maggiore.  Here we are with our homemade fettucine carbonera.  Yum.

Best of all, though its quite hard to claim a best of anything here, as everything seemed better than the next, was perhaps the conversations with fellow travelers from all over the world.  Holland, England, Germany, Switzerland, and even a few folks from the US.  We learned by swapping stories and exchanging cultural norms, and delighted in the tales and perspectives of faraway lands.