Early wake-up today to catch the bust at 8am! We drove through all sorts of little towns on the way to Wellington and stopped at Flat Hills Restaurant for lunch. (Don't ask me why they call it that...it is anything but flat!) We drove past Mt. Ruapehu but couldn't see it because the cloud was too low! It is apparently very beautiful - we could just see the base. The mountain to the right of that is the one used in the Lord of the Rings as Mt. Doon. We stopped a fruit market about an hour out of Wellington where I got a huge packet of apples for $2! BARGAIN!! Wellington is BEAUTIFUL. There are so many parks and trees and it is right on the waterfront. Amazing views! You can even see the South Island!!!