Ramble
Quest - Trail Angels in the Lower Hutt.
The Hutt Valley, outside of Wellington, isn't in the itinerary of most travelers. I stop here at the kind invitation of Richard and Judy, the parents of Nathan's (Singapore) wife Cathy. When I saw Judy in Singapore she said that Richard had fixed up a room in their garage that I could stay in. It turns out to be far more comfortible than I'd envisioned. Richard and Judy are two of the nicest and most generous people you could meet, so I was especially lucky to have an opportunity to stay with them.
I discover plenty of good day walks around the area. I hike along the long paths that follow the Hutt River. I spend a lovely day tramping through Belmont Regional Park, climbing up through forest, high into the yellow-flowering gorse covered hills above the Hutt Valley. Richard and I discover the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a large area fenced off from predators to create a haven for birds. We take the views from the wind turbine on the hill above Karori, looking out over the bay. We visit the Rimataka Incline Railway Museum and later hike along the route where the railway used to run. This would be a great place to bike as well.
Richard's a great sailing enthusiast, so we take his sailboat out for a run around the bay. Judy (a good cook!) makes a perfect whitebait omlette for me. Whitebait is young river smelt and something of a delicacy. All of us visit with their friend Andrea at her beachside cottage. I get tour guide commentary with every drive.
It felt good to stop moving for a bit and take an in depth look at the Wellington area. It felt even better to make new friends and see the same faces every day. After I left them for my scenic three hour ferry crossing to the South Island I felt like I'd left a familiar place and was just starting to travel again.