[New Zealand] Chapter LXIII: In which N and R and car travel by the Interislander ferry

Crossing the Cook Strait --- one of the most unpredictable waters in the world --- can often be quite rough, with strong winds and high waves not too uncommon, and cancellations due to bad weather also far from a rarity. But we were fortunate, and our three-hour passage from Picton on the south island to Wellington on the north island was remarkably calm (much to our car's delight, for Nissan Tiidas are known to be quite prone to seasickness). Indeed, we were doubly

fortunate, for the following day proved to be particularly rainy and windy.

And it was particularly rainy and windy not only on the strait, but also in Wellington itself. With the weather being inclement and with us still being a bit under the weather, we made our one day in Wellington a light one --- three hours at the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand (a well-designed interactive museum about all things New Zealand, such as World War I (Gallipoli), geology (earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.), nature (fauna and flora, past and present), Maori culture (woodcarving, meetings houses, tribes, etc.), art (closed for remodelling), and more), followed by a late lunch at a vegan Asian restaurant, a nip into a supermarket to buy some groceries, and back to our comfy room.

Accommodations:
- Glyn's Airbnb room at 7 Kastos Way, Wellington (2 nights; nice)

Photo captions: (a-d) from the ferry; (e-f) two very different sculptures from the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand; (g) Wellington, as seen from outside our room