I spoke too soon on the last blog about having a second ski day.  Mt. Hutt was closed on Sunday because of high winds so we headed north to Kaikoura where we had scheduled a trip to swim with dolphins.  I am not sure if there were any others foolish enough to want to go out for a swim in 30 degree weather (water temperature of about 46 degrees fahrenheit - thick wetsuits don't really protect you when it's that cold), but the wind and rain were equally brutal on the coast and all trips for the day were cancelled. 

 

We obviously needed indoor entertainment, and the vineyards of Marlborough Sound provided just that.  New Zealand is known for it's white wines (cooler climate - most wineries don't produce many reds).  We found several very nice wineries in this area on the very northernmost part of the South Island.  We made 4 stops with our favorites being Montana and Lawson's Dry Hills vineyards. 

 

On Tuesday, we made the crossing from the South Island to the North Island via the Cook Strait.  It was a rough ride across (see picture of me holding on to my cap as we entered open seas; we quickly retreated indoors) - I'm just thankful it was our last boat on the ocean's open waters.  We hit Wellington about mid-afternoon and decided to immediately visit the Te Papa National Museum.  This museum houses well organized exhibits on everything New Zealand - from history of European settlements to Maori culture to sports successes.  We skipped most of those exhibits and went straight for an exhibit focused on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.  There were great interviews with Peter Jackson, and others on the creative side of the film, which explained many of the complex special effects used in the movies.  Rachel and I both enjoyed all 3 of the movies, but by no means are we "Lord of the Rings" junkies, so I was surprised at how enthralled we both were with the exhibit.  We came back to Te Papa the following day to see some of the other exhibits.  The museum is almost overwhelming in its size and scope, but well worth a visit. 

 

Prior to our trip, I would have guessed that Sydney was the capital of Australia and that Auckland was the capital of New Zealand.  I would have been wrong on both counts (Canberra is the capital city of Australia).  Wellington is actually the capital city of New Zealand, and while there we paid a visit to the Houses of Parliament and got an extremely informative tour (see picture of me in front of the "beehive" which houses the executive and legislative branches of the government).  As they are still part of the British Commonwealth, the New Zealand system of government is closely related to the Brit's version.  One of the more interesting things that we took away from the tour is that there is a member of New Zealand's parliament who is rastafarian (supposedly rides his skateboard to the House of Representatives) and another who is a transgender....pretty open-minded set down here.   

 

We left Wellington on Wednesday, June 14th, and headed north to Lake Taupo.   Jeff