I have been staying in Wellington with Ralph (of Oxford Imps and Court Jesters fame). One of the big attractions in Wellington is the Te Papa museum, the New Zealand national museum. When I went to have a look around the place I noticed a big crowd of people marching down the street but thought nothing of it. When I got to the museum there were barriers surrounding the entrances and policemen behind the barriers. I walked in and the protestors surrounded the building. I thought this was all a bit strange considering New Zealand has got to be one of the most peace-loving and least offensive places in the world. When I wanted to leave the building 4 hours later the protestors and police were still there. I had to get a policeman to escort me out of the building and through the barriers. When he did this the protestors yelled "Arms trader or civilian?". The temptation to make a joke at this point weighed heavy on my shoulders. Te Papa is well worth a visit even during periods of public disturbance.
Wellington reminds me of Sausalito (the pretty part of San Francisco). It has got a village feel to it. I was very lucky with the weather for most of my stay and I had the fortune to be staying with a mate. Travelling on Kiwi is great but it does have its disadvantages. It can become a 'Brits abroad' holiday (with Irish and Germans thrown in) and you don't actually get to meet any locals. It was really good to be out of a hostel for a few days and to mix with some locals (albeit uni students). Wellington is noticeably different from the rest of the North island (excluding Auckland) in that it feels a fashionable young place to be. It is compact to make it manageable to walk around and it has plenty of varied suburbs to explore.
Before I arrived in Wellington I went on a trip out to the East cape of the North island with Kiwi (the Eastas). The first two nights we stayed in remote spots with nothing in the vicinty. It was a good trip for seeing the rugged coastline (and to beable to be the first to see the sunrise) but it was a touch dull at times. It is much more of a sit back and relax tangent. There were two sisters on the bus from Jersey and their dad knows Alan Whicker! I wanted to press them on more Whicker details but they didn't seem interested.
After the Eastas trip I jumped back on to the main route staying a couple nights in Taupo before heading south. I stayed in the Urban Retreat again in Taupo and it is a pretty good hostel. It is new, the staff are friendly and the facilities are clean. The kitchen is a bit small and there are only 3 pans which makes dinner time interesting. I had a one night stop over before Wellington at the River Valley Lodge. It is in the middle of nowhere on a river. The lodge was specifically built next to the river for the rafting. It is a really nice place. The rooms are clean and the communal area is big and welcoming. Although if you aren't a fan of moths it may not be the best place for you. I went to bed around midnight and noticed lots of big green leaves on the floor in the outside shower block. I realised (when the leaves started flying) that they were in actual fact massive moths. I decided against the white water rafting, which turned out to be a prudent decision. At the first set of rapids the first raft rolled over and a few of the girls managed to get trapped under water. The guides had to dive in and pull them free of the rocks, but in doing so they damaged their knees. They had to bring the girls back on the rafts so they missed some of the rapids out and take it easy through the rest. The girls ended up with splints and crutches.
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