Windy Wellington. They don't call it that for nothing, do they? Jeez! I suppose eventually you kind of get used to having your hair and clothes permanently at right angles to your body. And lipgloss?! Well there's just no point in wearing it unless you want all your hair and general flying bits of newspaper and kebab wrappers stuck to your face!

After a slow start (euphemism for having a horrible time) i have settled in to Wellington and just love it. I'm staying at a little Backpackers called Maple Lodge which is managed by a lovely Dutch man called Patrick. Despite being TV-free ("to encourage guest interaction" apparently) it's been my sancutary and i love going back there every day. A few other long-termers arrived at the same time as me and so everyone has been in the same boat - looking for work and generally settling in.

Jack my friend from Paihia is in town and until this morning Becky was here too. Becky and i spent some time in the first few days continuing our Lord Of The Rings pilgrimage and went up Mount Victoria, one of the hills that the city nestles at the bottom of. It was in the woods there that the LOTR crew began their epic journey with the first day of filming in October 1999 (yes! that long ago!). They were filming the scene from the first one when the 4 hobbits have to hide from the Nazgul or Black Rider. They jump off the path and hide under some tree roots. We found the exact spot where this was done. The tree was fake but the whole area is very recognisable and we looked down the path where Frodo shouts "Get off the road!". Photos to follow. Sorry - this is so boring for 99% of the population but we loved it!

The whole of Wellington is strewn with such "landmarks" and my hostel is just up the road from the Embassy Theatre where the final film was premiered and huge parade was held in honour of the cast and crew.

At the mo, the Fringe festival is on and the city is vibrant and interesting so there's lots to see and do - i'm sure i'll get round to it all eventually when i'm not working. x