Wellington

Wellington has a great reputation for fun - cafes, restaurants, museums, pubs, shops, everything!  It gets a really bad rap for weather - cold, blustery, miserable, dank.

So we were thrilled to turn up and find sparkly sunshine and temperate climes.

 

 

 We we staying with some friends from Vanuatu who had settled in Wellington recently.  Sophie, from Sydney, who had taken a job as a yoga instructor at a flashy wellness centre.  And her boyfriend John Maurice, from Tanna, who was studying criminology in New Zealand.

They lived in a really picturesque and hilly suburb of Wellington.  So we chugged little Ni-Van up the hill to the flattest parking spot we could find and danced off to see our friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Jean Maurice

 

 

 They were amazing hosts.  Welcoming us into their sharehouse and cooking us delicious food.  We caught up on all the latest news over many cups of tea and Jean-Maurice lamented that we hadn't been able to bring any lap lap with us.  Apparently it is absolutely the done thing for anyone who comes visiting from Vanuatu.  They get the mamas to cook up a big batch and then bring it over in alfoil trays for the gleeful consumption by all the expat ni-Vans.  

Had we attempted something similar, I can't imagine how it would be holding up after 10 days on the road.  The smell would have destroyed us.  It smells so bad to my nostrils, but evidently not to the nostrils of every ni-Van who all adore it and crave it when they are away from home.  Not an easy dish to knock up on a week-night - needing a huge pit fire and hungi type set up, giant banana leaves, fresh coconut milk and a massive big slop of yam, plantanes or the dreaded taro....  

Anyway we were forgiven by Jean-Maurice.  I think.

 

New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa

We went to an amazing museum and wandered the wonderful streets of Wellington stopping in at cafes for delicious drinks and snacks.  

There was a moment of confusion when Jean-Maurice insisted that he was going to take Romain for a 'glace' while I did one of Sophie's yoga classes.  Jean-Maurice is a francophone and he asked Romain in bislama  'Hey, bai yumi go wan glas' (Let's go get a glass).  'Glas' is pronounced like glass and means the same, a glass.  But confusingly it is also the same pronunciation as 'glace' in French which means ice-cream. 

glas, glass, glace?  So confusing!

 

So!  Off they set.  Wandering along they came across an ice-cream shop.  So Romain joined the line, thinking this is what Jean-Maurice wanted and Jean-Maurice followed suit, probably wondering what they were doing but just going with the flow.  After a couple of minutes of waiting and probably perusing the flavours, they both realised that neither of them wanted ice-cream and that in fact Jean-Maurice was suggesting they go for a glass of beer.  Much better idea.  So they hit the pub.  We joined them afterwards for some super fancy cocktails served in all sorts of wonderful vessels.  Mine was called something like the Mad Hatter and served in a delicate tea cup.
 

 

 

Another one of our Vanuatu friends, Anusha, also came to visit.  Awo! Haos hemi fulap bigwan!  We went on a big walk up a giant hill and got some great views of the glorious city below.

 

When Sophie used to visit for brunch in Port Vila, she would whip up this great green omlette, using all the herbs that flourished on our balcony - parsely, chives, basil.  She would finely chop a gigantic heap of the greenery and stir it through.  So healthy and so delicious.  She treated us to some equally yummy meals in Wellington which we gratefully devoured in sunshine on the front steps.

As I said, we were spoilt with amazing weather.  But it was still crisp and quite cold.  Cold enough that Sophie and Jean Maurice used to fight every night over who got to do the washing up.  Bathing cold, cramped fingers in nice warm water has to be one of life's simple pleasures.  Whenever I do the washing up, I think of them wrestling in the suds.