Hello...Is Anyone Here?

We had a very rough holiday season. First of all, it was our first holiday spent as expatriates in a new country. Secondly, we worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day-and it was busy!!! Nothing says "Holiday Blues" like a 24 hour shift.
Needless to say, we were very much looking forward to our week long vacation to the capital city of Wellington and the wine region of Marlborough. We were excited about getting out, going to the "big city" and getting a feel of some city life. Not that we don't love our little sleepy town, its just fun to eat fancy food, go to museums and drink lots of wine!

Our trip started off smoothly with an awesome flight from our airport that didn't require ID, didn't have a security line and didn't have more than 30 people on the flight! (Did I mention that we love the airports here?)
We arrived in the windy, capital city of Wellington a short 2 hours later. A lot of people don't realize that Wellington is actually the capital of New Zealand, not Auckland although Auckland is the biggest city in population and size. As outsiders looking in, it is funny to see the competition that the cities have going. The people from Wellington have to boast about the fact that their city is the home of government and entertainment (Welly-wood) but the Aucklanders will point out that Wellington is just a small town compared to their huge population of a whopping 1.2 million. I really don't care, I just was excited to explore the capital city.

Swanky hotel we stayed at

View of the city of Wellington...too bad nothing down there is open

Too bad we didn't plan well and here is my main gripe about my new home...

Does everyone really have to go on vacation together at the same time?
I loved the Kiwi mentality of "work to live not live to work". That is the main thing that drew us to this country. But there is a such thing of going overboard with an idea.
I know that I have to shed the American way of thinking of a 24 hour society but it is hard!
We arrived in Wellington on Saturday, a day which should be bustling with activity and action. Now, admittedly it was New Years Day so we expected some shops to be closed...but not EVERY shop and restaurant.
We walked down the main streets of the CAPITAL city of a country and row after row of shops were closed. Restaurants and cafes were shut. It was like the scene of a post-apocalyptic movie. No one was on the streets and Bruce and I were the only ones walking for blocks. Occasionally we would see a lonely soul but other than that, no signs of life. I was amused at the fact that an entire metropolitan city would close down on a holiday but I figured that in their defense it was downtown, on a Saturday on New Years Day...we were going to be here until Monday and we'd get the chance to experience the city...right?

Parliament in Wellington

The cute amusement of the city being closed quickly morphed into annoyance when it came time to eat. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I'm a foodie. I love food. I love it too much that I must run to keep it from settling in some not so nice places on my hips and thighs. I run so I can eat and stay in love with food. I watch food channel all day long...You get it? So as you can imagine, a lot of the research that I did regarding our trip revolved around some really nice restaurants that I wanted to try while we were in Wellington. I had collected recommendations from people who lived in Wellington, I got on the Internet and researched places and I read guide books. I came to Wellington armed with the knowledge that there was a seafood place that was calling my name and a Malaysian restaurant begging to be found by us. You can imagine my shock and utter horror when I called the first of 5 restaurants on my "must eat list" to find out it was closed.
I listened to the recording twice just to make sure I wasn't imagining the woman's voice...

"Hello you have reached (blank) restaurant. We invite you to come and try some of the best seafood that Wellington has to offer. We are currently closed for the holidays and will reopen on Monday, January 10th. We look forward to seeing you then. Goodbye."

How in the hell can a restaurant be closed until January 10th?! There is no holiday between now and January 10th? What could they be celebrating?
I was miffed and thought "Oh well, they lost out on our money" and immediately dialed restaurant #2, a swanky organic place and was met with the same horrific message.
Panic was starting to set in. Could it be possible that every place on my list would be closed for a pseudo-holiday? Doesn't anyone want to make some money?! Why don't these people work?
I ended up calling 8 restaurants and only 2 were open during the "holiday". I promptly made reservations and applauded them for not giving into the frivolous vacation trend sweeping their countrymen. I even made a mental note to tip them even though tipping is not done in New Zealand. I was going to tip them as a "Thank You" for working.
OK, I'm being harsh and probably a little jealous. I wish I had a job where I could take off 3 weeks for Christmas and New Years and "Post New Years". I still couldn't help but think about how hilarious it would be for shops and restaurants to close in New York City or Los Angeles for 10 days during the holidays. I think that the American economy would come to a screeching halt.
Thank God my gastronomic trip was saved by some awesome Malay food, a big ol steak and a nice, fancy dinner at the restaurant at our hotel. My tummy was saved.

Big ol filet mignon, served on a hot stone which allowed you to cook to your preference

Bruce, cooking his meat up on the hot stone..and it was GOOD!!!

We did actually get the opportunity to walk Wellington from top to bottom, seeing the harbor, the botanical gardens and visiting the impressive Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. Bruce and I usually don't enjoy museums with art work, etc. We really enjoy the archaeological, scientific type museums. Te Papa had everything. We saw a gorgeous photographic exhibition by a famous New Zealand photographer, Brian Brake, we read about the history of the Pacific Island peoples and viewed amazing replicas of their huge ocean canoes and we had the opportunity to learn more about the native Maori here in New Zealand. It was great museum with something for everyone. And it was open!

Botanical Gardens in Wellington

Rose Garden in Wellington

Stopping to smell the roses

The second leg of our journey was to the "Sunniest Place in New Zealand" also know as Nelson. Nelson is at the tip of the South Island. Bathed in sunlight, it boasts some of the nicest beaches in New Zealand and one of the nicest national parks, Abel Tasman National Park. We were headed to Nelson to enjoy more culture during the Nelson Jazz Festival then up to Kaiteriteri to enjoy some sun and sand and finally down to the Marlborough wine region to sample the famous New Zealand wines produced there.
Of course, there were some minor snags. Arriving at the airport in Wellington, we once again fell in love with the laid back Kiwi spirit. We printed out our boarding passes, never showed our ID to a living soul and walked onto our plane without a sight of a security line. The entire process from door to arriving at the gate took about 10 minutes.  I should have known that something was going to go wrong. The something wrong was arriving at the rental car counter. First my credit card was declined. (Oh and  I couldn't call and figure out why cause the bank was closed-its a holiday, remember?) Then she put us in a stick shift, not realizing we requested an automatic. Since the Jazz Festival was going on the entire fleet of 20 cars was gone and we were left with the slim pickings of several manual cars. Bruce and I just looked at each other.

Me: I think there has been a mistake, I don't know how to drive a stick
Bruce: And I think I can but its been about 20 years and the stick is on the opposite side than we have in the US so I don't think its safe for me to drive...
Rental lady: "Oh, its OK, you will learn."
We exchange looks.
Me: "We are being honest, we don't really know how to drive a stick. We could possible wreck the car or strip the gears..."
Rental lady: "Oh, you have insurance and you will learn. Just practice in the parking lot here. Think of it as adventure! Here are your keys...goodbye!"

We were dumbfounded. The lady actually gave us the car keys after we told her we didn't know how to drive! When would that EVER happen back home? Hertz in the USA would black list you and charge your credit card for the cost of a new transmission if the car didn't come back in pristine condition! We slowly walked to the car and stared at it for about 10 minutes like the transmission would grow an automatic. Finally, we did what the lady said, we got in, took the car on a couple of scary, jumpy spins around the parking lot and then ventured out amongst the innocent Nelsoners. They didn't know what was coming!

View of the Marlborough Sounds near Nelson

Gorgeous Summer day in Nelson

On our way to hear some jazz in Nelson on the Quay

Our first stop was a cool little oceanfront restaurant which was hosting a band for Jazz Festival. We ordered our new favorite bottle of sparkling wine and sat outside listening to the music and enjoying the sunshine. We actually enjoyed it a little too much because on our way north to the beach, we both noticed we were sizzling still. We had forgotten that New Zealand supposedly resides directly under the big hole in the ozone layer, allowing all the super UVA/UVB rays to come down and fry unsuspecting people. We do take care in the sun but we have to admit, having a "natural" tan allows you to forget sunblock a lot more. Not in New Zealand. We both were sporting some awesome sunburns on our faces and arms much to the amusement of our fairer friends. We learned our lesson and slathered on some SPF 70 for the remainder of our trip.

We drove up to the little beach town of Kaiteriteri, a very busy place in the summer thanks to warm, calm water and its proximity to the gorgeous Abel Tasman National Park.  We then realized that most of the people in New Zealand, especially those supposed to be in Wellington were actually at the beach! We finally found them! We spent a day lounging on the beach and the next day cruising around the little inlets of Abel Tasman Park. There were tons of people out (a ton of people in New Zealand is about 50-100) kayaking, hiking and enjoying the summer day. Funny thing about New Zealand weather that it may not be summer all day long. Starting off on our cruise, the wind picked up and the clouds came in and the temperature dropped from a balmy 80 degrees down to a chilly 62. We bundled up in our windbreakers and towels and then, just like that, the sun came out again and toasted us up to the 80 degree mark.

"Busy" beach in Kaiteriteri

Summer day turned winter on the boat...Bruce bundled up and enjoying the cruise

Beautiful golden beach in Abel Tasman Park

Our last stop of our vacation was to the famous wine region of Marlborough. Marlborough is nestled between Nelson and Blenheim and produces almost 80% of all New Zealand wines. It is known for its sunny, dry and cool climates which produce some stellar whites including its best, Sauvignon Blanc. It also produces Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Bruce and I are not connoisseurs but we know what we like and we have visited wine regions in California, South Africa and Italy. It is fun to learn about the science behind wine production and even more fun to drink the science!! We stayed at a lovely small vineyard, Stonehaven and enjoyed a great dinner at a small local restaurant right down the street. The next day we spent the day drinking and driving. Not really, but we did ride bikes and drink a lot. Unlike our tastings we experienced in California, the tastings in New Zealand are mostly free. On our 4th vineyard we had decided that we'd had enough after I started getting more wobbly (than usual) on my bike.
It was gorgeous countryside and did resemble the wine regions that we visited in California and South Africa.
We spent our last, delicious days of vacation drinking wine and sampling fresh foods around the area.

Stonehaven Vineyard

picnic area in wine country

Bruce, after one too many "tastings"

In heaven, also know as a Sauvignon field...

I'm still not the best rider and the wine didn't help!

Despite the capital closing down on us and almost killing ourselves with a manual shift car, we had a wonderful domestic vacation.
Next time, I will make sure that we DON'T travel during Kiwi holiday time!

If you'd like to see all the pics from our vacation, click here