One
of the things I’ve learned while traveling for an extended period
of time with a loose plan is that when you find yourself in a place
you like you should really consider staying a little longer than
anticipated. I like Wellington and it just seems to suit me right now
so I inquired if it would be possible to stay a little longer. I also
asked how much I had paid for the first three nights. Well, I had the
exchange rate mixed up and actually I’ve been paying around $33 USD
for a top floor single room with a view. Breakfast included. They
said I could stay until the 18th. After that the building
is vacated and prepared for students to move back in on the 25th.
Campus stays in the summer are a real bargain but sometimes you kind
of have to seek them out. I just lucked into this one via the
internet.
Naturally
I had to tweek the plans I made a couple of days ago but it was no
problem. So, I’ve extended my time in Wellington by 3 days. My
revised travel plans are better than the original. I need not fret
over any decisions for the next few days as I have it all worked out.
I don’t generally like to plan too much but sometimes a little
structure is good as it keeps me moving forward more efficiently.
Sometimes I can become indecisive with too many options coupled with
no specific goals or direction. Being totally open can make one
available for some great last minute options but if your not still
moving forward with some sort of a loose plan a lot of time can be
wasted going nowhere.
Everyday
I’ve been doing some interesting. Today I went to Matiu/Somes
Island. It’s a nature preserve and only a 20 to 25 minute small
ferry ride away. There’s a network of hiking trails and great views
all around. It once served as a quarantine station for immigrants, an
internment camp for 80 or so Italian/German POW’s during WW2, and
then a quarantine station for livestock which ended in the mid
1990’s. Atop the highest point are the concrete remains of several
foundations that once supported large guns to protect the bay from
enemy boats during WW2. Now it’s a very peaceful place to visit and
makes for a nice day trip.
One
of the things I’ve been kind of missing out on in Wellington is
meeting people. I guess I’ve been more content to kind of keep to
myself. I haven’t been running into any real characters but I will
say I have noticed a couple of odd looking folks during breakfast.
The breakfast crowd is a mix of mostly college aged kids of different
nationalities that appear to be participating in some sort of group
trip, workshop, seminar, travel, I don’t know. I did meet a really
nice young woman from Canada in the floor common area who is a physiotherapist that has relocated to Wellington for a new job. She was
booked in while finding a place to live. Anyway, we got to talking
and one of her specialties is working with cardiologist and heart
patients which related to some of the issues my father had before
passing. We talked for awhile and I told her about what my father had
gone through etc. She was very good at conveying her knowledge and it
made me feel more like the right decisions were made in the final
days before my father passed. It’s funny how at times a chance
meeting can lead to a conversation that’s very pertinent and can
make you feel better.
As
for now I’ve got a couple of more full days in Wellington then I’ll
hop a ferry for the South Island. The photo above is a picture from
Matiu/Somes Island with Wellington in the distance.
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