We were all a bit sad to leave Janet and Theo and the Tutanekai Cottage in Te Kuiti. One day there just wasn’t enough for any of us but we’ve got a lot more miles to cover on this road trip so we were up early and back at it. This was to be a much longer drive than any we’ve done so far. From Te Kuiti to Wellington it is close to a six hour drive. It’s a good thing Dan enjoys driving!
Along the way we shared many laughs and enjoyed some stunning scenery. We stopped in one small town and had a quick bite to eat and after that Jack even enjoyed a quick nap in the backseat while Dan drove and Jilly navigated. And if you’re wondering….YES! He does snore!
Arriving in Wellington near rush hour was a bit crazy. Wellington has the second largest population of any city in New Zealand at close to a half a million people. Auckland ranks first with 1.5 million. Needless to say there was a lot of traffic and we were all pretty exhausted from the long drive but when we arrived at our house for the night we were all brought back to life by the stunning views. This Air B&B is called the Art Gallery. It has several pieces of artwork hanging on the walls that are for sale but I wouldn’t really call it an art gallery. Most of the pieces are okay at best. But who needs art in a place that has a beautiful balcony and picture window views like this?
Yeah, right? This place is something. The inside is clean and it has pretty much everything you’d need. It’s a bit dated but like we keep saying, we aren’t buying it and the views make up for any shortcoming it may have so we’re so happy we chose this place.
While we’re a bit rejuvenated by the view we are still tired from the early morning and long drive so Jack, Dan and Jilly head back into town to pick up some Chinese food and we enjoy an evening in. Jilly spends the evening taking photos of the sunset and moonrise over Wellington while the rest of the crew relaxes. Tomorrow will be another very early and very long day.
We have to get up early to get to the ferry terminal. We will be taking the three hour ride from Wellington across Cook Strait and into Marlborough Sound to Picton at the South Island on the Bluebridge Car Ferry. From there we’re driving another five hours south to Hokitika.
We can’t wait for the ferry ride. We’ve been told it’s one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world! Be sure to check back and see what we find along the way.
Cheers,
Jilly & Dan
