Goodbye South Island

Today is a bit of a sad day, I leave the South Island and head to the north. I have really enjoyed my time on here and as people told me, you will just be in awe of the beauty. That I was, there is no understatement to just how beautiful the southern part of their country is. I can say it was stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, covered with lush green plants from sea to mountain top, full of pure running water where ever you went (although it might be a bit chilly) and all of these things would tell you what I saw, but you need to see it in person, I am not sure any picture that I take will ever really do it justice.

So I get on the boat and make my way to the top deck to sit out in the sun for the 3-hour boat ride. As we got going all you saw was deep blue water surrounded by the lush greenery that I just spoke about and nothing more other than the light blue sky. It was a beautiful way to leave the South Island.

Fast forward to my arrival in Wellington. My 1st thing to check out was this really old church called St. Paul’s. Why do I keep going to churches you may wonder if I don’t believe in god or what not? Because they are (or can be) absolutely beautiful in how they are made depending on their era. I love looking at architecture from a time when I wasn’t around. These days’ things are not as ornate as back in the “older days” and are so plain that it is good to see where a lot of things came from. This church was unlike any I have ever seen! It was built in 1866 and is still in its original state from back then. Now I was really taken back when I went inside. I was not expecting what I saw in anyway shape or form. Ready for it??? All beautifully carved and molded wood from floor to ceiling! The ceiling was supported by tons of wooden arches; the pews were all wooden, the flooring was wood with a carpet that ran down the middle towards the alter. And of course it had some beautiful stain glassed windows. When I got there, a huge tour bus showed up at the same time. So if I wanted a picture of what I saw when I walked in, I would have to wait for all of them to move. Just my luck, they only had 2 min to get in and get out hahaha. So I was left alone in this beautiful church with the ability to take as many pictures without anyone in them. (enter evil laugh here). So of course I took some pics, and a woman who worked there came up and started talking to me asking where I was from. Apparently I was the first person from the USA there today! Wahooooo go me! Lol She told me there was a section behind the organ where they made it into a video session so you could learn about different parts of the church. So I went over and started from how it was built and who designed it, secret hidden passages that have been found and the meanings behind the banners on the walls. It was great to have the time to listen to the history of this beautiful landmark.

I checked out Oriental Bay which apparently everyone says to visit….meh, a beach at the city, nothing special and the view was ruined by shipping container boats lol. I then headed over to Cuba St because a lot of things I looked up said that was another place to check out, meh….wasn’t feeling it. So I headed to their……gardens!!! I of course found their rose garden and took just a few pictures of some roses I had yet to see in my 8 weeks on the road. As a side note, I am not sure what is up with me and brides but everywhere I go I always run into a bride and groom doing pictures for their weddings, and this was no exception, in the rose garden is where they were and a great place as well. After passing the bridal crew I was able to walk up to the top of a hill towards more gardens and actually get an overview of the garden which was great.

Since I had meandered to the top I figured I would check out the rest. A lot of this garden area was on a hill so there were either steps or ramps to get from one place to the next. Very beautiful place to wander about if you have the energy. I probably walked around for an hour or so before I headed back to the car.

My final destination is Napier, which is 4 hours from Wellington, so I drove for about 2 and a half and found a place to crash for the night for free. I was hoping the sky would stay nice and clear for me to take some cool sky shots and it didn’t disappoint. I got some amazing pictures of the milky way and the Orion constellation along with a few other areas I am looking forward to sharing them with people because in one of them I actually caught a shooting star!!