The day was chilly, overcast and windy, so I spent the morning organizing the next couple of weeks. I'll take the bus up to Auckland next week to spend a couple of days. I booked a hostel room (instead of doing the couchsurfing this time) and also a one-day tour to see the major sites of the area. I'll stop briefly in Wellington on my way back to the Marlborough Sounds to do a one-week workaway. Originally it was supposed to start earlier and I was first going to volunteer at a hostel in Greymouth, but rather than deal with shifting everything around, I think I'll just cancel some things and make completely new plans.
In spite of the cold, I decided to walk to the store. Basically I thought I could just go without hair conditioner this entire trip to save the weight... but no can do. Even WITH loads of conditioner, I generally have "wild" hair. Now add humidity, wind and the sea, and it was getting quite unruly. Regan has been being kind about it, referring to it as "mermaid hair."
Important note to self: Don't try to text and walk when in a country where people drive on the other side of the road. Your instincts of which way to look before crossing the road will fail you every time!
Regan texted and asked if I wanted to meet in town. So I walked down to the bus stop. Damn, it was cold! While waiting for the bus, I talked with a woman who was all wrapped up in her heavy winter coat. She reassured me that the weather would get better. Thank goodness, because my wardrobe is slightly lacking for this kind of stuff!
I got off at Courtenay Place and Regan met me at the stop. We walked to a small pub called the Little Beer Quarter. I sampled a couple of the beers but they were all so hoppy!
We walked along the pedestrian mall. There were lots of shops and activities. A young guy walked up to us with a stack of small cardboard signs. Using the different signs, he would ask questions and give responses. He basically offered to do a little "vocal concert" of rap music. He did a good job so Regan gave him a couple bucks.
Downtown playground... Boulder has a beaver; Wellington has a tuatara!
Their "famous" water fountain
We swung by a small food court that is only there Friday evenings. They had so many yummy-looking things from all sorts of countries. We ended up getting some empanadas. Wow, were those good! ... super moist, cheesy and wonderfully seasoned!
Our empanada stand
They may not look great but they were delicious!!
We visited a couple more pubs... Havana where I had a Tuatara Porter, and the Little Hop Garden where I had a Hofbrauhaus Weisse.
We then braved the cold and caught the bus back home.
