Wellington — 21 February 2001

Another early morning, as we had to catch a 7:10 train to the ferry at Picton. Sleepily, we checked out of the Highway Lodge and got on the train. On the shoreline, we spotted a few fur seals. Transferring to the ferry, we opted to walk the 200 meters rather than take the bus. Bidding goodbye to the South Island, we boarded the Interislander en route to Wellington. The weather was sunny and our view from the ferry was much clearer than it was on our voyage south. Crystal clear water revealed jellyfish, a tern, some dolphins swimming right next to the ship and more dolphins in the distance.

In Wellington, we checked into the Abel Tasman Hotel, then wandered through Cuba Mall. I bought a bunch of CDs, mostly Flying Nun stuff. We ate dinner at Kopi — lamb curry and feijoa (fruit) ice cream — before retiring for the evening.