Life's a Stitch

This is a busy cruise, with port calls almost every day. Today put us in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington. It was a beautiful day, not living up to its Windy Wellington reputation, in this reasonably sized city (population 412,500) with a manageable pace of life. We rode the famous cable car, of the funicular variety, to the top of the town.

There you are released into the beautiful Botanic Gardens with the option of walking back down to the city, which we did, past giant plants of the aloe (?variety, a magnificent herb garden and of course, the formal rose garden, all pictured below.

Back onboard I took advantage of the opportunity for a bubble bath. It's only the second ship I've been on with that option.

Next port was Picton, which felt in a way like coming home, as we stayed there prior to and following our tramp on the Queen Charlotte Track. The locals are quite pleased to have cruise passengers visiting their small town and present each woman with a corsage, while the men get Picton pins. So welcoming, it reminded me of the Canadian Maritime cruise I took with my friend Lynn, where we were given long stemmed roses upon arrival at St. John, New Brunswick. It gives you a good feeling about the town and those who live there. I could imagine the volunteer contingent necessary to make corsages for 1000 women at a time. 

New Zealand's towns each have impressive war memorials. With no disrespect intended, this picture looks as though C has a tough decision to make. With Remembrance Day coming up, we'll have the opportunity to be more solemn as we visit the memorial in Akaroa.

Having been to the town before, we used this day as an opportunity to run errands: the pharmacy, grocery store and the public library for access to wifi. Looks like a hundred others had the same idea leading to library computer system overload.

Heading back to the ship I seriously considered the purchase of a NZ possum hair/merino scarf. Although soft, the little guard hairs were quite spiky and irritating. Guess I'll be bringing home memories instead of something woolen. 

(11-08-17 & 11-09-17