Day 3 in Wellington, New Zealand

Today we took a bus ride to the Weta Cave.  It is the studio where many of the costumes and artistry is done for Peter Jackson's films and other television shows (Lord of the Rings trilogy, Narnia, Prince Caspian, Hercules, Xena, Heavenly Creatures, etc.).  There was a mini museum and a behind the scenes DVD screening about how it is all made.  It was really cool...I know Jody would love it!

Afterwards, we had planned to go to Mount Victoria.  However, the bus wasn't scheduled to leave for another half an hour.  So we stopped in for a drink at the Establishment, a small pub right by the bus stop.  The city streets were buzzing with excitement, as there was a huge rugby match (or soccer?) on in the evening, so all of the bars were advertising that you could watch it there.  We finished our pints, and went to wait for the bus, only to find out that (duh!) the busses don't run on Saturdays!  So we decided to make the walk, and boy was it!  We trekked up the hills into a park and hiked the terrain.  I joked because I was hiking up a mountain in a cardigan, trendy shoes, my purse, all while eating Cheese Nips...

We made it to the top, and the view was incredible.  The sun was finally starting to shine through the thick clouds, and it cast a soft glow over the whole city.  The panoramic view was beautiful.  We hiked back down the mountain and had a quiet dinner in a quiant Italian restaurant called La Casa Della Pasta.  Cheese ravioli and Kim Crawford Pinot Noir was a wonderful finish to a sunny Wellington day.