#35 - Crossing the Cook Straight to the South Island

Our last place to visit on the North Island was Wellington.  It is commonly referred to as “Windy Wellington”.  We remember this from the last time we were here several years ago.  Our cruise stopped here for a day and Jeff signed up to play golf.  We noted as soon as we got off the ship that it would be a very interesting game with the whim of the wind taking the ball wherever it desired.  Hook, slice, or dead straight... all determined by the gust of the moment.  Makes a golfer very humble.  

Apparently, the people at the excursion desk also took note of this wind, and perhaps fearing their passengers would be blown off the hilly course, they cancelled the golf outing.  

So when we arrived in Wellington this time, we were prepared for it to be breezy.  When we drove up to the hotel Jeff stayed with the car (illegally parked) while I went in to register.  Sounds like a simple plan, right?  Well, when I started to open the car door a gust of wind blew it open so hard I couldn’t hold onto the handle. Fortunately, the loud scraping sound was only the bottom edge of the door being dragged across the sidewalk.  Another 3 inches and the door would have been smashed against a pole and at least 2 people on the sidewalk would have been taken out.  This would not have been the type of entrance we wanted to make into Wellington.

Instead, I managed to make a grand entrance of my own.  The bellman came out to the car to help take our luggage out of the trunk.  Meanwhile, I reached into the car to get something out of the back seat.  When I emerged a gust of wind blew my blouse over my head.  All attempts to pull the blouse down were thwarted by the now continuous gale force winds.  I could hear a few giggles and twitters from people nearby, but couldn’t see them because my blouse was covering my face.  That’s probably just as well.   Having just advertised for Victoria’s Secret poor step-sister, I really didn’t want anyone to see my face.  But just to play it on the safe side, every time I left that hotel I wore big sunglasses and a hat.  And a blouse that I tucked inside my pants with a tight belt.  My flashing days are over!

Just a P.S. on that wind... it turns out that a freak wind storm came through the city just as we arrived and only lasted a couple of hours.  This weather system came up from the Antarctic and by the time we got up the next morning things were back to their usual “normal windy” conditions in the city.  

The main reason we went to Wellington was to catch the InterIslander ferry over to the South Island.  It was surprisingly comfortable (leather reclining seats, cafe, outdoor decks for scenic viewing, and even a magician on board to entertain the kids).  No, I did not apply for the job.

Crossing the Cook Straight between the North and South Islands of New Zealand

This took us to Picton where we walked one block to catch the Coastal Pacific train to Christchurch.  More on that in my next blog.