Giving it a bit of 'Welly'

We sailed on the car ferry from Picton to the North Island, pulling into Wellington, New Zealand's capital city known fondly as "Windy Welly".

Wellington has quite a arty, bohemian feel to it and has it's own fresh and forward-thinking spirit.

To give you an idea how incongruous 'Welly' feels compared to the rest of New Zealand, here's a few things you need to know: Kiwi towns have old, musty taverns rather than pubs or bars; there's usually just one shop that serves food, fuel and just about anything you might need; in some places you'd have to drive for 2 hours or more just to go to the cinema or shop for clothes; and perhaps my favourite example of all - one of the main state highways has parts that aren't sealed, just gravel track. A state highway, looking more like someone's driveway!

It's backward, in the most charming, arresting way. But Welly was a refreshing break from the quaint time warp that the rest of the country embraces.

Absorbing the sights and sounds of the city, we visited the Te Papa museum (it's free, so we naturally made a beeline for it!). It was vibrant and the amount of displays and levels was a little overwhelming. It certainly made a change from the dusty museums and fading displays on offer elsewhere.

Spending a day in a city like Wellington feels like we've pressed the pause button on our travels. So we happily pushed 'play' again as we headed to Tongariro National Park.