I had booked a flight to Wellington through Air New Zealand Grab-A-Seat and I took a day off school. We arrived early Saturday morning and left later Monday evening. Although it rained for the first two days, the third day was wonderful, and it was special to spend the time again with Evan. On Saturday, we visited the Famous Te Papa Museum and viewed exhibitions on Pacific Islanders and NZ Immigration, Maori culture, NZ topography, hurricanes, the earth, and oceanic marine life. The museum is pretty incredible and it is all free! We then went on a 4 hour Lord of the Rings tour (which Evan had been eagerly looking toward). We visited Mirimar (nicknamed Wellywood for its location of many sets for Lord of the Rings and Narnia) and Seatoun (where many of the actors from the movie lived during filming). The warehouses where the sets were located looked like any old building...it is amazing to think that so much goes on inside! We even saw Peter Jackson(the director of Lord of the Rings) walking into one of the studios with what looked like a theme birthday party. We visited Mt. Victoria and had a spectacular view of the city by night. We later went to a pub to watch the Rugby game-Australia vs. New Zealand (almost as big a deal as Georgia vs. Florida). On Sunday, we decided to sleep in and didn't get out the door until 11:30am. We walked through Frank Kitts Park and the Queens Wharf towards Parliament. We took a tour through the Beehive (the executive wing of government), the Parliament House, and the Parliamentary Library. And interesting fact that we learned is that New Zealand is one of the only 3 countries in the world that does NOT have a written constitution (the other two are Great Britain and Israel). We visited St. Paul's Cathedral, an Anglican Church across from Parliament and got an interesting tour to the bell tower. We walked through Cuba Street on the way back to the hostel, a street known for its cafes, shops, and brick footpath. On Monday, we took the Cable Car to Kelburn, a town at the top of the hill overlooking the city and the wharf. The Wellington Cable Car is a very iconic activity for tourists. From the top of the hill, we walked down through Wellington's Botanical Gardens, which were still stunning despite the winter weather. From there, we took a bus to Seatoun, where we tramped along the shoreline along the "Heads" (a nickname given to the rocky coastline in the Wellington Bay).
In the background left of the photo above is the Beehive, which is the executive wing of NZ's government. The other building is the Parliament House. 
Next to the New Zealand flag in front of Parliament.
Riding the Cable Car to Kelburn.
We visited the Weta Cave, filled with handfuls of life-like Lord of the Rings figures. Weta is growing quickly in popularity in the film industry as New Zealand has set many scenes from Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Weta aids in make-up and costumes, sets, filming, editing, special effects, etc...
I am standing above one of the sets for Lord of the Rings. 
Another set for Lord of the Rings...with props!
Wellington Botanical Gardens.
The "Heads" shoreline off of Seatoun.
Wellington Bay.
The "Heads" shoreline off of Seatoun.
Window Seats: the best type to have on the plane.
The staff at Smuggler's Cove put on a show for us filled with traditional Fijian dances. This is a hula dancer in the picture above. 
When the staff asked for volunteers, I jumped right up on stage and learned the Bula Dance. I quickly made friends with the girl next to me so that I would feel more comfortable acting like a fool with someone I knew.
We formed a train and followed the leader. None of us could quite move like our warrior leader, but we at least made the effort to.
We were lucky to meet people from all over the world. By the end of the trip, we had met people from all areas of England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and Finland. This group here were mostly from England and Ireland. 
Catching up on lost time.
Dinner is served! We often had rice with an assortment of vegetables and sometimes fish or chicken. The best thing to do when eating in Fiji is to never question or think about what you are eating; it tastes a lot better and you save yourself heaps of time you might have spent worrying. 
Dancing one of the many "Bula" dances we learned. This is one of my friends from Ireland. 
Together again.
Queen & Deborah never miss a photo moment!
Enjoying the morning sunrise. We then decided to take a walk on the beach. 
Looking down shore.
This is the what our resort looks like. The huts backed up right to the water. Despite the wind coming off the water, it was quite a wonderful place! 
We enjoyed the coconut Moses opened for us. I drank the milk from the tiny hole at the top of my coconut, while Evan ate the flesh that Moses had peeled out.
When we arrived on Wanna Taki Cruise, we were greeted with dancing, singing, and free cocktails! Fijians are so friendly!
That night the Wanna Taki staff hosted many games for everyone on board. We raced hermit crabs, played musical chairs, and did the limbo. Evan won musical chairs and I tied for 1st on the Limbo. 
