Car trouble part deux

First impressions of Wellington were good as we managed to find a hostel that provided free dinners. We'd heard Courtney Place was the party street and so Friday and Saturday night were spent there. After two nights of bar hopping each different establishment merged in to one. In hindsight, we needn't have left our hostel, photographic evidence shows that after having demolished a box of Country, we were having a lovely time amusing ourselves in our room. The fun you can have with bunk beds.........

We spent a lovely afternoon in Khandallah visiting Colly's old house and some neighbours Beth and Rachel. We thoroughly appreciated Beth's homemade banana cake and shortbread. Gifts of chutney and jam have been put to good use in many a sandwich. Colly, Beth and Rachel managed to inadvertently coordinate both their outfits and their cheeks in a shocking fuschia pink- we apologise for the glare. One of Wellington's main tourist attractions is Te Papa, a mammoth six floor museum full of free exhibitions. Once again Murph, Erin and Tay geeked-it-up at the Lord of the Rings exhibition, whilst Colly pensively got involved in some art appreciation.
You probably won't be surprised to hear that our car problems continued. It turns out Sir Cliff Richard was to be no better behaved than Stanley. His timing was impeccable, when in the car queue for the ferry to the south island, we turned the keys in the ignition to no avail. We had a flat battery. After a couple of minutes of cursing Ace Car Rentals and watching all other cars board the ferry, Murph sent for help. A kind steward, jump leads at the ready quickly appeared. Once finally on the ferry we explained our plights to another steward who informed us in no uncertain terms that, "there would be plenty of young men on board willing to give you girls a jump start!" Luckily we didn't need one and cruised onwards to spend the night in Picton. The next morning we awoke to discover that we are undoubtedly the most unluckiest car renters in New Zealand. We had been issued a ticket for parking the wrong way along a street. Who even knew that was an offence? {{PICT0679.jpg|right}}
In Blenheim we were excited about the prospect of touring the wineries of the famous Marlborough region. Our excitement was slightly dampened by the fact that we had to share a very intimate dorm room with 8 smelly boys, all of whom snored and one of which shouted obscenities in his sleep. All being conossieurs of cheap Tesco wine, we headed for an educational trip to teach us about the finer varities. The tour began quite sedately with us being uncharacteristically quiet due to our lack of knowledge. Twenty-something wines later we were all too happy to voice our 'educated' opinions on undertones of Vegemite and oaky flavours. Tay and Erin found they favoured a light and fruity Sauvignon Blanc while Murph and Colly preferred a full-bodied Chardonnay. They were all in agreement about the bubbly.
Abel Tasmin National Park boasts some of the most unique and stunning scenery in New Zealand so we spent a couple of days wandering the shores and collecting shells. {{DSCN1082.jpg|center}} Pupu Springs were not as murky as they may sound, the clear blue waters were so inviting we had to fight the urge to jump in. {{DSCN1104.jpg|left}} Franz Josef, our next major destination was a long way south so we decided to break up the journey with a number of stops, the first being a seal colony. Despite gale force winds, we could'nt tear ourselves away from watching the baby pups and honing our now near-professional seal noises. {{PICT0621.jpg|right}}It was like a David Attenborough special. Paparoa National Park provided us with pancake rocks and blowholes. We couldn't resist a visit to Greymouth's mock gold mining town. The average clientelle consisted of 5 year olds with their grandparents. {{PICT0615.jpg|left}}This did not deter us from frolicking about the park with huge grins on our faces and pic 'n mix from the sweetie shop. We panned for gold and came away triumphant with our tiny flecks of treasure- we know how those early pioneers felt. {{PICT0616.jpg|right}}
Bad luck comes in threes and we made the schoolboy error of making one too many toilet stops. We found ourselves up shit creek without a paddle as Sir Cliff broke down once more. The flat battery had reared its ugly head once again. We found a local mechanic who instead of coming to help us, sent us away with a jump set and vague instructions on how to use it. {{S5020018.jpg|left}} Once we had got the engine running with all limbs intact, we returned the jump set and were sent off with the mechanic's particularly helpful advice, "to avoid further trouble, just don't turn off the engine."

Car trouble part deux

Wellington, New Zealand