Perks

Celebrating the Queen’s Birthday

In New Zealand there is a national holiday in observance of the queen’s birthday. This may seem a bit funny to those Americans out there—at least it did to me—but when you think about it, it’s kind of like president’s day. The day affords Kiwis a long weekend to go on holiday somewhere or just relax at home.

I took the opportunity to travel down to the northern bit of the South Island. We visited “the sounds” region and it was a fantastic trip.

On top of the fun and games, I was able to drive on the left side of the road for about an hour without any major disasters!

There were gorgeous vistas:

Exciting roads:

And of course, lovely sunsets:

I also found a stuffed Cincinnati Red's baseball bat in a second hand store!!

The Fabulous Feijoa

If you ever get the chance to eat feijoa (Fee-Joe-Ah) fruit in your life, take it! In my book, the almighty feijoa is one of evolution’s chart-toppers. It is tart and sweet all at the same time. You cut it in half and spoon in out. Yum!

In addition to the actual fruit, one can also enjoy feijoa lollies (aka candy) that are delicious, feijoa vodka that is odd but nice, and feijoa tea that’s always satisfying after a hard day’s work. As I had not seen them before arriving in New Zealand, I assume you can’t get feijoas in the states. This fact has set me on a mission to eat as many feijoa fruits and feijoa-flavored items as humanly possibly while here.

Walks around Wellington

There are so many great things about Wellington that it’s hard to isolate just a few of the city’s attributes as “the best.” However, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the city is the green belt that basically horseshoes around the CBD providing fantastic hiking and stunning views without having to travel any distance. For example, a few of my mates and I explored the “skyline track” that runs along a ridge north of the city.