Hills, Hikes and a very Happy Birthday!

Hiya,

So we’ve had a really good week this week, lots of walks and exploring! Definitely a bit tired now but worth it overall!

On Tuesday we decided to walk up this massive great big hill which gives amazing views over Wellington. It was such nice scenery but even though it was mainly in the shade, I seriously struggled getting up that thing!! My god it was steep! The majority of the track was actually steps and after a few little asthma attacks I finally made it up there! The views were amazing as promised – at the highest point there was a giant pole/electric pylon thingy which was kinda handy, because a few days later when we went into Wellington city, we could see from quite a distance how far we’d gone up! It looked pretty impressive! After that knackering experience, Alana suggested that we go on a 3 hour hike the next day to a place about half an hour out of Wellington, after being reassured that it wasn’t as steep as the one we just went on I agreed to go! New Zealand is mostly green so I may as well make the most of it! Before the day was finished though we decided that we’d try out wharf jumping as it was on our list of things to do while we were here. We headed to the beach and I was reluctantly dragged to the end of the pier. It was quite windy and although sunny, the water definitely didn’t look all that inviting. So the 3 of us lined up on the edge and counted down from 3 before taking the plunge…..And MY GOD was I right. I don’t think I’ve ever been in something so cold. Plunge pools are warmer than that water! I scrambled out of that sea quicker than if a shark had been behind me. I took the go pro on that little adventure though so I’ve got a funny video of us screaming on the way down.

The walk we went on the following day was actually really nice, like walking through the jungle! Very quiet because we were going at midday on a Wednesday but it was so peaceful. Lots of little (and big) bridges to cross and a lot of roots to fall over. After about an hour and a half or steady incline, you’re almost half way. You then take a longggg descent down to a small river (I think it had kind of dried up a bit by the time we got there) where we had a little packed lunch and dipped our feet in the icy water. The weather was lovely, not very windy (for a change) but not too hot that I melted. The way back was quicker and mainly downhill, but God getting back up that hill by the river needed some definite willpower! This walk was by far my favourite, it was so quiet and we all just chatted easily with beautiful scenery all around us. Tiring, but I really enjoyed it. Though I didn’t so much enjoy going to work after!

So the next day was even more exciting because it was my birthday! Woooo! Now 22! Feel like I ought to be a proper adult now but still gonna try and avoid that for as long as possible. So the morning started early as I was quite excited being the child I am! I ran in to Alana before she left for work and she gave me a nice gift and a quick hug before leaving. Then the teenager in me kicked in and I decided 7.45 was far too early to be awake so I went back to sleep until 9.30 haha. Much more of a respectable time. I got ordered out the room while Steve set a surprise up and when I came back there was an amazing cake with candles lit, banners everywhere, presents and all my cards waiting 😁 So, thank you if you sent me a card all the way out here! I really appreciate it! I took my time opening them all and was certainly spoilt! Mum and Dad got me a voucher to go canyoning in Queenstown which looks amazing! It’s where you go on like an assault course through the caves and rivers – lots of jumping, zip lines etc! Grandad and James and Layla got me a voucher for white water rafting in Queenstown which is something I’ve wanted to do for ages! Now can’t wait to get to Queenstown! It’s the adventure capital of the world so should be so fun! Ste’s mum got me a voucher for a massage which I seriously can’t wait to have! And my big surprise was a beautiful Michael Kors watch from Steve. A pretty successful haul I’d say, very lucky lady!!

After I opened all my bits we had a big breakfast and a slice of cake before getting the train into Wellington. Once we got there we headed for the beach, a tiny little section with barely any people on it, it was so nice to just chill. The weather kept changing its mind that week but my birthday it stayed sunny all day which made it so nice (though that didn’t mean that I braved more than my feet in the sea, despite Steve’s attempts to get me in, the last experience has scarred me for a while haha). Once the wind started to pick up we got changed and headed to the centre of the city where we found an outside bar and some beanbags to sit on and have a nice cider and wine. Alana met us there after work and after a few more drinks we headed for some dinner. We had a nice meal and after Alana took us to this bar which had an amazing balcony where we sat and had a drink (coke this time!). There were little fairy lights everywhere and the seats were these huge uber-comfy bed mattress things that I didn’t want to leave. It looked out over the harbour and the stars were all out and it was just really pretty! Don’t think I’ll spend too many birthday out in the sunshine so overall it was a pretty memorable day.

So it’s been a busy few days but think it might quieten down a bit now. A lot of my shifts at the cinema are in the evening so I get the whole day to just laze about. Getting really excited for the full on travelling to start now!

Catch up soon,

Abby x

P.S. there is a random photo of me in a tuk tuk…it came to work for a promotion! Haha