Interesting name….sounds steamy.
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Wellington Botanic Gardens
Located at the top of the historic cable car and overlooking the city, is the very well done Botanic Gardens. It’s always open and free to enter, meaning it’s ready to enjoy at any time, whether that be sunrise or sunset, midnight or midday.
The views of the city are absolutely gorgeous as it sits atop a hill above the city looking down to the harbor below. The gardens themselves are well plotted out with paths well marked out both by standard signs as well as marks painted on the trails themselves. Stars mark out the way to the planetarium and lovely purple flowers point the way to the visitor center. There are also plenty of trails out in the bush and a path that leads back down the hill to the city, if you feel like skipping the cable car. Going that direction is much preferred to the opposite route as going up the steep hill from the city is not most people’s idea of a good time, though certainly a good way to get some exercise.
We really enjoyed our time hanging out in the sun in the gardens, and for people on a budget, it was just the right price. Well done Wellington!
Found in Wellington: Real Denny’s
One of the biggest heart breaks of my life occurred when, on a dreary night in Japan, I went in seek of the comfort of late-night breakfast goodness available at Denny’s. However, as I looked over the menu at Japanese Denny’s, I had the horrible realization that this Denny’s had nothing in common other than the logo with the bastion of drunken satiation that I knew and loved.
However, Wellington knows what’s up and proudly features breakfast at their Denny’s. In fact, they even offer half price breakfast during weekday mornings! Hard to beat that! I would have just been happy with a Denny’s that doesn’t serve sushi. Kudos to you, Wellington.
Wellington: First Impressions
We love Wellington! If you want an impression, that’s it. Wellington is a about a third of the size of Auckland (400K vs. 1.2 Million people), but it has 10 times the charm. As the former capital, it is the cultural home of New Zealand, and that’s a good thing. It was also named as one of the top five places to visit in 2011 by Lonely Planet and is known as the “cool capital” of the southern hemisphere. It’s easy to see why.
How to be a Classy Nerd
Since I was a kid, I’ve always stared up at the stars in wonder and dragged my parents to the science center whenever I could. Which is why, when we found out the local planetarium was having a special wine and bread night, we couldn’t pass it up.
The Stardome planetarium is located in a park right next to One Tree Hill, one of the fantastic lookout spots near Auckland. It’s not particularly huge, but it was recently rennovated and has a nice little museum display complete with some interactive displays. Of course, the main event we were there for was The Stories of the Stars, one of a series of Tuesday night special events that they hold once a week. We were ushered into the planetarium, where our two hosts took us through a number of constellations, covering both the stories behind them and then zooming in to show the nebulae, galaxies, and other objects that can be found within them.
