Back again, and yes, it is Tuesday. I didn't type on the weekend. I thought about it. Even got the keyboard out that I can actually type on, but I never got around to actually typing. I played Civilization. Not that I am good at it. I have only ever won once, but I enjoy it until about halfway through the game, then it becomes a slog and I never win. You think I would learn how to play better. I never do. I am not sure what that has to do with typing entries in here, other than it distracts me when I sit down to the home computer.
On out last episode, I think we were about to drive home from Rotorua. Speaking of Rotorua, I just heard that name in a podcast I listen to. It was about how dependant humans are on sulfur. I didn't really listen to it, but they mentioned Rotorua because apparently, people who live there do better on some type of mental tests. They said it was because of all the hot springs and that the town perpetually smells of sulfur. We noticed it and I had warned everyone about it before we left, but it was interesting to hear the report that it might be a good thing.
Next day, we got up fairly early, around 8, and were out of the house by 9:30. I had decided to drive back on a route that took us to the coast. It was just a brief tap of the coast before we headed back inland, but no one had ever been that way so we made a trip out of it. It was a pleasant drive, mainly because everyone slept most of the time. It was a nice road that went through some small mountains and along some river. We got to the coast and there was nothing there. Didn't keep us from staying for over an hour. We had some lunch, and then had to go to the chemist. I don't remember why. I got some more pain medicine and the girls looked at some perfume that was supposed to be exclusive to there, but I am not sure why we had to go to that chemist. And I only mention it because it was packed. I have no idea why. We had to park a long way away from it and walk back. I have no idea why so many people were there. It seemed kind of strange to me. There was nothing else in the town, or nothing we saw. Maybe we just didn't go down the right road, but it seemed like a pretty dead town.
Anna and the boy decided they were not going to go with us to Wellington. We were to drop them off at their house. It was along the way, so we didn't mind. It was going to be easier for them because they would have to take a train back to their house the next day since we did not have time to take them back. I am told that is about a 3 hour train ride.
Once we dropped them off, we had to take the original road we had planned on taking when we got there. You know, the one they had said was washed out. Now I have no idea how you rebuild a road in three days, but Anna said it happens all the time. Almost every time it rains, the road through the mountains is closed because parts of it has washed away. A regular occurrence I am told, and not just by Anna. Either they don't know what washed away means or they are really good a repairing the roads, in the mountains, very steep sides all the way up with no room for trucks or anything.
I think they are making it up. I was not so sure about taking a road over the mountain that had been closed two days before, but we gave it a shot. It was very windy, and I am not sure that says windy as in twisted or windy and as in a lot of wind. Too lazy to make sure. I mean it was very twisty. And there was a lot of it. I think, to get there from where Anna lives to Wellington would be about a 20 minute drive if you didn't have to go over the mountain, it is not that far. But it takes about 2 hours on the road. Or maybe it was 2 hours to the place we were staying. It was on the other side of Wellington in a very steep part of town. Scary to drive in and out of the driveway, but we made it ok.
I won't go into the first night we were there. We didn't want to go back out, so we ordered Uber Eats. I have never ordered from Uber Eats before. Maeghan had to show me how to do it. I ordered way too much food and we ended up not getting to eat it all.
I was looking for a place to have breakfast the next day. We were planning on spending the day in town. I found something that was never expected to be in New Zealand. I found a Denny's. I have not been to Denny's in 30 years, maybe more. It was not a place we frequented in America but they had heard me talk about it on many occasions. I always say, let's go to Denny's when we are out at night, even there are no Denny's in Australia. I say it all the time. No place to go for late night, early morning food in Australia, or we have never found any.
Wasn't that special, but now the kids can say they have been to Denny's.
We then went to the museum in Wellington. They had lots of different things. 5 or 6 floors worth. The first thing was a big tribute to the Anzac memorial. It was a long, very detailed accounting of what happened during the war. Lots and lots of exhibits. Juanita and William were not that impressed. They moved on pretty quickly. Maeghan and I saw everything. Spent way too much time in there. They have these very enlarged enactments of scenes from the war. Probably three or four times life size. Most of it was pretty interesting, but way too much to see. You could spend all day in there and not see it all. We probably spent and hour and a half, Maeghan and I. We only left because there was a lot of other things to see in the museum.
Most of the other stuff was interesting also, but since we had spent so much time in the war memorial, we kind of rushed through the rest. I would have liked to spend a whole day there, but Juanita and William were already restless. Maeghan and I went through the first 2 floors and then Maeghan went the the remaining floors while the rest of us had coffee in the coffee shop. The museum is worth the time, but you either spend all day there and see everything or just kind of wander through and miss a lot of it. I don't know if I would do it again, but it was worth the first time through.
After that, we just wandered around the town and hit up some shops. We also took the 'cable' car up the hill. Totally not worth it. It is a very short tide up the side of the hill on a tilted train. Maybe two blocks total from bottom to top. You could probably walk it faster. And there is nothing at the top. A gift shop, some houses, a restaurant sort of but it was closed when we were there so I have no idea if it is actually a restaurant or not.
After that, we went and had steaks somewhere. I wanted our last meal to be good. Wasn't that good, but we didn't know that before we went. The next morning, we did have a wonderful breakfast on the water. Problem was, it was raining and heavy fog so we couldn't see anything, but it was a good breakfast. I have a couple of pictures in hear from there. We had the flight later that afternoon, so we had plenty of time.
I guess that about raps it up for the New Zealand vacation. As I have said, probably the best vacation we have had. We did go to Airlie Beach a couple of times in the Whitsundays that would rival this vacation, but for the amount of stuff we did and the enjoyment we had doing it, this was still probably the best. We will go back to Airlie sometime, but probably won't be back in New Zealand. Something for years in the future, all depending on my health and wealth in retirement.
That is going to be all. This has been way too long. I thought about cutting this entry into two more and giving some more details on what we had done, but I decided against it. If you made it this far, I must have put something in these that was more meaningful than I thought it was.
As a quick side note. New Zealand was so good, I have honestly considered it a destination for retirement. Haven't looked into it much, but it might be something to think about. But I digress.
Until next time,
Later
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