New Zealand/Kansas/Texas

When I was a kid, I was not into flowers.   Mom grew some Tulips each year, and I remember my Grandmother Colby had roses around her house.   But I was always too scared of the beating my big brother Chris was going to provide, or how I could escape his next deadly plot, to appreciate and enjoy life's simple beauties.   In Texas right now the country side is filled with Bluebonnets and all kinds of beautiful wildflowers.  But alas, they only last a month, and then they are gone.

So we travel half way around the world and visit the Botanical Gardens in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington.   (Surely you all remember your lessons on the Capitals of the World).

I can't say much about Wellington itself.   It is nice enough Capital city of 200,000 squeezed into this mushy land between a magnificent harbor and the mountains to the west.  I felt claustrophobic there, wondering if these buildings were going to fall on me in the next earthquake which is due anytime.   But a short ride up a cable car to the top of Mt. Victoria frees you from the death trap,  only to arrive at the fabulous Botanical Gardens, an Observatory, and a beautiful Rose Garden high above the city.

Austin touts Lady Bird Lake, but this place is pretty special.   It covers the entire mountainside, with about every tree and plant species in the world.   I am no botanist, but I was in awe of this very peaceful place.   Monterey pines that are endangered on the California coast have been planted here years ago and are thriving.  Redwoods, cactus, Beech trees with 15 ft. trunks, and of course all the unique trees to New Zealand, like the famous Pohutukawa
(I know, just sound it out).

These are magnificent trees that tower above the herd.    We spent very little time in Wellington itself, but much of the afternoon in the gardens.    Much to learn here.

Juxtapose the peacefulness of the Botanical Gardens with the magnificent ocean that surrounds these islands and determines their life.  I am a Pisces you know  (that explains so much) so I find great comfort in being on the water.   Strange for a kid from Kansas to love the ocean so much.   This is a serious ocean here, with swells that have traveled thousands of miles untouched by land.    Big swells, that you don't see in the Gulf, or the inner islands of the Caribbean.   Storms and hurricanes have taken their toll on the sailors in this part of the world.   We looked at one chart in the Wellington museum,  just in Cook Strait that separates the North and South Island,  there have been over 200 shipwrecks.    150 mile winds in a narrow straight, lined with deadly rocks is not a good outcome.

The forecast for the crossing many days ago was winds in excess of 50 mph.   Yikes!!   Today for us, it was calm.   One could not ask for a better day to leave Wellington, and cross to Picton on the South Island on the ferry, Kaitaki, a massive 182 meter ship (that is about 600 ft.).

Notice the Semi Trailer truck on the back deck, to give you a sense of her size.     We drove our little camper (along with hundreds of cars, over 50 camper vans, and dozens of large semi trucks) through the nose of the ship and into its interior to our parking space on the back deck.   Pretty cool.

Yes, that is our little home on the outside edge with the gray nose, and yes that is the same semi truck on the back deck that we could see from shore.   I loved this.   This fit right into my wheelhouse of a perfect day.    Take a ship to cross the strait, out into this big ocean, even if we did have a 1000 other folks along for the ride.   I am at peace on the water.

But watch out for those rocks please.

It is a 3 and a half hour ferry ride from Wellington to Picton on the South Island.   Half is across Cook Strait, and half is working your way up the Tory Channel and into Queen Victoria Sound, where Picton lies at the far west end.   I can already see that the landscape on the South Island is very different and spectacular.  

It is now Friday here, and we are spending two nights in the small town of Blenheim on the Northeast shore of the South Island.   Blenheim is the gateway to one of the world's best known wine regions....the Marlborough.    What could be better than a full day of driving about to several Cellar Doors (tasting rooms), then back to our Holiday Park to tap into the play by play of the KU-Purdue Sweet 16 game.   Go KU.   Let's hope our day finishes as nicely as it has started.