Wellington, New Zealand

Thursday and Friday, 31 January and 1 February 2008

We take the ferry across the Cook Strait from Picton to Wellington. It's Rugby Sevens weekend in the capital city and, as tradition dictates, most of the locals are in fancy dress for the occasion. The streets are mobbed with Wellingtonians dressed as superheroes, nuns, priests, tigers, pirates etc. However, the predominant theme is ...you've guessed it...men in drag. In a Farmers shop (the NZ equivalent of Dunnes Stores) we spotted dozens of butch Kiwi men browsing the lingerie section for bras sized FF! Needless to say, the All Blacks win the competition, after a close run final against Western Samoa. Dara's friend Tom has returned from Dunedin so we park in his front yard for the night. He lives on a hill so it was a strange experience sleeping down a 45 degree gradient. This might have been made easier by the pint of saki Tom served us at a Japanese restaurant we went to on Courtenay Place. At least Tom's girlfriend, Karen, had some good tips about what to order. Afterwards we meet up with Tim and Chris, friends of Tom's, in the Hawthorne Lounge, a speakeasy-themed bar. After the serenity of the South Island, the crowds and fast-pace of Wellington is a bit of a shock to the system. The next day we visit the Botanical Gardens, getting to the top by cable car. Leahanne has to be restrained from pulling the emergency cord on the way up, when she thinks she sees the very muscular All Blacks Sevens team training on a pitch next to the track!

For more photos click here.