We were finally on our way, unemployed, no fixed abode and only our van as shelter and it felt great. Rather than heading straight or the ferry we had decided to spend a couple of days with a family we first met in Tahiti. Roger, Joan and Paige (formally known as Kimberly but had now taken to using her middle name, very confusing) had invited us to come and stay as their guests on their very big and plush motor vessel in Nelson marina. Who're we to turn down free accommodation in an ultra comfortable bed with Ralph Lauren bed clothes!
During the morning in Nelson we visited the World of Wearable Art Museum which displays the clothes from an annual show which started as a bit of fun a few years ago where budding artists and designers create art that you can wear. Now the show is a very popular and quite famous event with artists from all round the world taking part. This museum was twinned with superb collection of rare and fast cars so it kept us both happy! During the rest day we had a look around Nelson and its sights. We enjoyed a very relaxing lunch at one of its many cafes before having a stroll down the beach in the hot sunshine, having our dinner cooked for us on our return to the boat and catching up with stories of travels with Roger and Joan over a few cold beers in the evening.
The next morning saw us on the ferry to Wellington and arriving we knew we'd have to head out of town to find a campsite. About 30kms out of the city in beautiful native forest we found the Department of Conservation campsite where we could camp for just a few dollars. The next day we were back into Wellington for some sightseeing. Our first stop was the Te Papa museum, which is the national museum. It houses numerous exhibitions covering natural history, science, cultural history, art and anything else you could think of. it's a huge place and you could spend several days going back there but we saw the exhibitions we wanted to see and they were excellent. We also paid a few dollars to see a temporary art exhibition displaying pieces by Monet and the impressionists.
After a spot of lunch in the city we decided to follow a short city walk described in our Lonely Planet. It took us past the wharf and into the city centre, and we stopped on the way to take the funicular train up the steep hill to the Botanical Gardens. We had an icecream overlooking the city in the nice gardens before heading back down into the bustle of the shopping district. The final part of the walk took us to the government buildings, some of which are nice examples of early grand buildings made with native timbers. Another was the aptly nicknamed "Beehive" which is a modern design loved or hated depending on personal taste. We weren't all that impressed with it but Wellington came across as a nice city full of life.