The bad news… I have a mere 18 hours in Wellington before our ferry departs for the South Island.

The good news… I’ll return in three weeks to properly explore this capital city, so the pressure is off.

And thank goodness, because I can already tell this is one exciting place. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Just outside of Wellington, our Stray bus driver Nat stops in the town of Mana to give us a quick break. It’s so calm and pretty.

Nat continues our drive into the city.

We drive to an overlook high above Wellington. I check out the aerial view and note which places I hope to visit on foot when I return in a few weeks.

Nat has already alerted us about the HUGE museum on the waterfront called Te Papa, which celebrates New Zealand’s history and is free to visit.

You can see the Te Papa museum more clearly in this photo:

You’re awfully pretty, Wellington.

And then I hole up to edit photos and write blog posts for several hours. I can do this guilt-free knowing I’ll return to explore Wellington in due time.

I’m staying at the Base Hostel near Courtney Place, which is a huge hub in the center of the city. In the evening I take a walk and grab dinner at Enigma Cafe — an avocado, chicken, and roasted veggie salad. You had me at avocado.

One more word about Wellington — it’s the Chicago of New Zealand, which is to say it is the windiest city I’ve ever set foot in. The wind bellows all night long, making it difficult to sleep. I make a mental note to stay at a different hostel next time — one more sheltered from the wind, and on a lower floor.

Tomorrow morning we’ll ride the ferry to Picton, which some say is the highlight of New Zealand.