Our travels continue

[rowanf]

Tasting1.jpg
Originally uploaded by rowanf.

Once again Russell heroically drove on the wrong side with me as the worst passenger imaginable. The countryside was again very northern California two lane roads except that they do strange topiary hedgerows. Well, not topiary exactly but buzz cut on top and sides squared. Some of these hedges are the height of the telephone poles and I can't really imagine why one would want to buzz cut them or what technology one might use to do so. Well, going through the gorge wasn't like California either. But I really had expected New Zealand to be greener but the fields are golden brown just like ours in the summer.

We made it to Wellington in the mid-afternoon and wandered down to the harbour to find something to eat. I had hoped to get inworld in time for the library dance but there was just no way I could be done eating by 3pm my time. I had a nice spinach, smoked salmon & brie omelet (with salad, they always serve salad with eggs here it seems) and Russell had a rabbit pie. It was quite nice really.

Another bar to getting inworld is that, once again, it is $34/day for internet in the hotel... for ethernet with a $.10 per MB if you use over 50 MB within the 24 hours. Russell's calculations say I shouldn't go in SL. And I haven't yet found an Esquires or Starbucks around here. Ahhhh!!!! Need internet! Need to get inworld!

Well, for one thing I have log my caches. Two DNF's, including the multicache we spent two days on and the first one I tried for in Wellington. I was about to get a complex but I found the next one I looked for. Wellington has an amazing collection of public art and they local cachers have done a series to bring folks to see the various bits. Very cool!

I was just about to go downstairs and see if I could get a wifi connexion in the lobby when Russell called a spa he had noticed in a nearby hotel. They could do a "couples massage" in 20 minutes at 6:15, so checking internet tonight went by the wayside. I *really* needed that massage! It was quite good and reasonable cheap. Unlike almost everything else in NZ. The food here is really astonishingly expensive. But it is almost 11pm back home and so I think I'll just have a lie down instead of going in search of internet.

Comments

FYI

[taltosdama.livejournal.com]

WE are going through the hottest and driest summer in a long time here in the north island. So normally the hills would be greener.As for internet, it is expensive here. And no standard umlimited download like California. WE don't have things like Skye TV and such because of the big internet bill we get a month.I think it's a cash cow for Telecom. And it really irritates people here.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

expensive? New zealand food? Coo; that wasn't our impression, even compared to the US. Maybe it's different in South Island? In Wellington I really recommend Monsoon Poon http://www.monsoonpoon.co.nz/hungry.htm - the Dragon & Phoenix is my favourite - and drive round the peninsula to Seatoun and Chocolate Fish Cafe http://www.wcities.com/en/record/,91156/82/record.html. We usually did large breakfast - you can get some wonderful french toast with bacon in NZ - and dinner but even when we stopped to get lunch we didn't find we were breaking the bank...

Also greenery; again, south island and especially the approach to the alps and the grey coast and down by Dunedin we found lovely and green.

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

I don't think I have ever been somewhere that $50 for breakfast for two is the norm. And I don't mean some fancy brunch. Just a basic breakfast. And dinner is often $150! A 10 oz diet coke is $4. I mean, I'm from California, I know about expensive food. But this is crazy.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

wow! and that's US rather than NZ $? either that's a North Island thing or prices have gone way up since last year!

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Well, it is $1.12NZ-$1.20NZ to $1.00US so it isn't all that big a jump either way. We just had dinner with a 25% off coupon and it was still $170NZ. The US dollar is pretty weak. The food was very good. Just very pricey. We had been planning this holiday for a year and we are just not thinking about it. But wow.

[rubibees.livejournal.com]

Wow is right! Glad you can enjoy it anyway, and that the food is tasty, but that is pricey indeed. Esp the internet!