Get off the road, quick!

Another day, another run. Except this morning I decided to run downhill, mind you, to the Aotea Lagoon park. It was a cute little place, completely populated with white geese, quite reminiscent of James Herriott scenery. There was also an adorable little windmill, and, despite the horribly terribly long and drawn out hill that I ran back up on the return trip, there was a great view of Porirua. 

The morning went on a little slower than intended but the day progressed all the same. We arrived in Wellington in just enough time to hunt for parking (easier said than done) and meet up with Logan and some of his friends. The crew gave us a Wellingtonian tour of Te Papa which was both comical and informative. They showed us where the best interactive exhibits were as well as pointed out some rather unconventional displays, even one that is supposed to play host to a sweater-wearing sheep in the near future. Interesting.

We also took some time to see the gardens attached to Te Papa which, having seen the authentic New Zealand wilderness via Congo, was a bit yawn-esque. 

From Te Papa, Annie and I drove in maddening circles trying to find our way up to the Mt. Victoria lookout. With the help of some serious map skills and a handy iPhone GPS, we were there in a matter of minutes. It was a steep climb, full of drop-offs and very narrow streets with inadequate parking. Not a surprise. 

Once we reached the lookout we walked around and absorbed the view. It was just spectacular- you could see for miles around! At the peak of the lookout we ran into another American pair, these two from Philadelphia. Ironically, they attend school at the same University that Annie is going to do her teach for America training… not only that but he also just got done studying abroad in Brisbane. The world is very, very small.

A beautiful city!

Continuing on down Alexandra Street, we headed towards some of the famed film spots for The Fellowship of the Ring. We saw the location, and walked around there, where Frodo warned the rest of the hobbits to get off the road before the Nazgul came. Clambering up the hill, I sat in the film spot for the following scene where the hobbits hid from the Nazgul underneath the tree roots. Annie and I also skillfully stalked another tour group where we found where they had filmed the hobbits finding mushrooms previous to the other two scenes and a third film site where Frodo and Sam watched the elves leaving. Of course, the last one is the extended edition.

Nazgul?

I wouldn't want to get off this road- too pretty!

Leaving the Mt. Victoria area, we went over to Miramar and saw the Weta Cave. This little house-like mini-museum is close to a LotR, Narnia, Last Samurai, Kingdom of Heaven (does it get better?) shrine. They had the original Sauron chain mail and armor as well as all the sword props from the movies. I also got the privilege of making the acquaintance of an Uruk-hai.

Friendly bloke, really. My new BFF.

Driving back through town, Annie and I drove past the Oriental Parade and passed the Beehive (Parliament building) before heading north to Upper Hutt. We didn’t get as lucky with this campground, but at least it has showers, a kitchen and bathroom. I really can’t complain.