So we hadn't even had a chance to put our fork down after the final bite of our lunch, when Mama SoulFood was already spreading panic, forcing us to gulp down the last of our bubbles so we would make it to my next surprise! The plan had been to undertake this surprise, on my actual birthday the following day, however Jim Hickey (like Mama!) had also been causing a hype about the severe weather warnings, in fact not warning but a weather BOMB!! So fortunately Mama had made the executive decision to push the surprise forward to Friday.
The meeting point for the surprise was at the Wellington i-site, so it was obviously a tour of some sort. As we were hanging around for the clock to strike 13:30, my gaze swept across the wall mounted flat screen designed to give information about the tours. As my eyes scanned for the tours with a 13:30 start, a sense of dread overcame me. There was only one; 'Seal Safari'. “Oh dear...”, I thought as I was already trying to play out in my head how upon arrival back in Auckland I would explain to my friends that for my 20th Birthday I went to Wellington with Mama and Papa to go on a Seal Safari...hmmm exactly. My street cred was definitely going DOWN!
For Mama, I pulled myself together, put on a brave face and headed for the battered Jeep sporting a giant seal on its side and 'Seal Safari' written in what looked to me like neon writing. But my bravely smiling facade quickly crumbled as I looked up to the Tour-guide holding the boot door open for me to climb in. Was this a man or a w
oman?! I just couldn't work it out! This lanky creature had the mannerisms of a man but there was something soft about him, something too soft. Bewildered I climbed in. As we began to drive, Mama, naturally, started chatting to him mentioning something about his co-worker being a “lady”. Our Tour-guide decided this was the perfects egway to explain to us that he was in fact a man, throwing in a little anecdote about how a young girl had recently straight up asked him whether he was a man or a woman. Ah bless children's ability to ignore all social codes... We also learned that at 43 and a half he had never shaved. What a fascinating Safari this was turning out to be!
I cringed as we pulled up in fornt of the 5-star Intercontinental, to pick up our other two (American and Canadian) Tour companions, weren't Jeep's supposed to have tinted windows?! Missioning through the city in that Jeep, I felt like Bridget Jones, the time she didn't get the memo about the party no longer being a fancy dress party, turning up in the “Playboy Bunny” costume... We certainly weren't blending in.
To my relief we were soon out of the CBD, struggling to drive up through the Brooklyn Hills. Slowly but surely we were getting a more panoramic view of Wellington. We soon reached the highest point 500 meters above sea-level, with a stunning view over the rugged valleys on either side of the crest. I certainly would never have expected there be such a vast and (apart from the protruding Meridian Energy wind turbines!) still untouched landscape behind Wellington. It's certainly not what the locals boast about, but I think they should! Although the knowledge that not everybody knows about this side of Wellington or even gets to witness it, actually made it special, this would be my little birthday secret...
(Delicious Manuka Tea)
What about the seals you ask?! Ah well they were alright, apart from sleeping on giant seaweed in the most awkward positions they really weren't that exciting, but still cute I guess... check them out for yourself!
Hope you liked!
Truly,
Frauelein SoulFood
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