After a lovely nights sleep in our first cabin in the countryside we got up bright and early and got on the road for a 6 hour drive to our next place.
The further south we drove the more sheep we began seeing. There are approximately 4.5 sheep to every person in New Zealand, with an estimated population of 25 million!
Throughout the whole drive the views were truly amazing and never got boring. Around every corner is a jaw dropping moment.
The video shows Mount Ruapehu which is New Zealand’s largest active stratovolcano and features the highest peak on the northern island. It has two major ski resorts and lots of Māori cultural heritage making it one of the biggest hubs for tourism.
Around halfway through our journey we stumbled across the memorial for the Tangiwai Train Disaster. It happened on Christmas Eve 1953 and resulted in the deaths of 151 people. It’s still New Zealand’s deadliest rail accident.
A little further on, we discovered a campsite nestled behind a woodland with a crystal clear river running alongside it. As it’s off season, it’s free to stay and one very lucky older couple had the place to themselves.
We finally made it to our cabin and we were blown away by how nice it was. It’s situated on a couple’s land where they have 12 pet sheep who come running to the fence just outside the cabin everyday! They also have a dog, cat and even a chicken – they’ve got the life!
The area is known to have amazing stargazing opportunities as there’s many dark sky reserves and sanctuaries which have exceptionally low levels of light pollution. You have to be there to see it!
The following day, we jumped back in the car to drive 1.5 hours to Welly! The road to get there was interesting…
Our first stop in Wellington was Mount Victoria Lookout which is famous for panoramic views of Wellington City, the International Airport and surrounding hills.
Wellington is the world’s most southern capital city at 41° south. This places it directly within the “roaring forties” which is a band of strong westerly winds circling the southern hemisphere. This makes Wellington the world’s windiest city by average wind speed.
After parking in a very tight multi-storey car park we walked down Cuba Street. It’s an iconic 900m pedestrian friendly street with many vintage shops, eclectic cafes and bookshops.
Down a side alleyway as most good things are found, we discovered Pegasus Bookshop. It has labyrinth like rooms stacked floor to ceiling with rare, vintage and second hand books. We loved it and even got a free bookmark with our purchase.
When crossing the roads, we noticed that the red and green man were Haka style. We found out that these were installed for the 2019 Te Matatini festival and were subsequently made permanent as they were so popular.
We then took a nice stroll on the waterfront which looks out over the harbour.
Just a 15 minute walk outside of the city centre is Oriental Bay Beach which was surprising to see for a city. Although not warm, there were still a few locals taking a dip.
The next day, we woke up early to go to Cape Palliser Lighthouse which was around a 1.5 hour drive away. The lighthouse marks the absolute southern most point of New Zealand’s north island. It has been operating since 1897 to guide ships through the turbulent waters (those winds again) of the Cook strait.
To get to the lighthouse there are 258 steps up but the views are definitely worth it. It is remotely operated nowadays from Wellington city centre.
On the drive to the lighthouse we spotted some road signs for seals and even penguins! Fortunately for us we saw loads of seals and even pups.
The area is home to the largest breeding colony of these seals on the north island. We both agree that it’s our best wildlife encounter ever! We have too many cute pictures to pick from but here’s a few…
When we were leaving we stopped by one of the black beaches, Mangatoetoe Beach. We were lucky to have it all to ourselves apart from a couple of seals. It’s by far the cleanest beach we’ve seen on all of our travels as we didn’t see one piece trash!
On the drive back we went through the village of Martinborough. It is famous for its exceptional Pinot Noir wine and is very popular with cyclists popping into all the different wineries. With over 20 boutique wineries it wasn’t hard to see a vineyard!
Being in New Zealand we of course had to try some of their world class beef. The sun was out so we got the barby on with the supervision of the sheep!
As it was our last evening we fed the sheep for the final time. They have been very friendly and welcoming.
This morning, it was time to check out and make the 7 hour drive up to our next destination, Lake Taupo!
LittleSandyBeach 
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