great expectations.

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Every Pittsburgher knows that the temperature outside is not actually the temperature you get. The weather may say it is 70°, but what they really mean is it's 70°, but it feels like 90° once you account for the humidity. Wellington has a similar problem.

Today when we began our morning the printout helpfully slipped under our apartment door announced that the high for the day was 20° C, as soon as we stepped outside we realized that was not the case. As mentioned before, Windy Wellington really lives up to it's name, but today was the windiest by far. As we headed across the street towards the Sunday market we had to fight against the breeze. Later in the day I actually had to stop back in the hotel to pin my hat to my hair so it wouldn't fly away! I've already lost one hat this week, I don't need for another to go missing.

Yes, it is so windy here, trees grow sideways.


I always loved the Sunday Market in East Liberty, but the Sunday Market here puts it to shame. There were veggies as far as the eye could see and a whole street filled with food trucks and other vendors. It's a foodie heaven. We are operating on just $100 we brought over with us until we get a bank account set up, so we didn't actually buy anything, but we already have a list made for next weekend. By far the best thing we tried was warm Mulled Lemon & Honey cordial from Bees Blessing. It was delicious!

After the market we headed over to Cuba Street for lunch, don't worry, this time we knew what we were doing and it only took a few short minutes. As we headed up the street we stopped in a small shop called Cosmic to look at lip-jewelry and hair dye, after some inquiring we discovered that we had actually walked past their larger store. After lunch we paid the other Cosmic a visit and discovered in addition to accessories, they also sell clothing from Tripp and Hell Bunny and devil sticks. There could never be a more perfect shop in the world. Okay, scratch that, they don't sell knee high socks or llamas. Once they take care of that I can reconsider giving them the title.

Lunch was consumed at Laundry, a cute resturant that felt like what The Quiet Storm should have been. Only, you know, not vegetarian. That isn't to say that Laundry isn't vegan friendly, it's just not all they do. Now as you may have heard, New Zealand has a reputation for being quite the expensive country. I can see where some people are coming from, rent is paid by the week and I just bought a pair of sneakers for over $100, but all-in-all it isn't too bad. For a nice lunch consisting of a coffee, two burgers, a side of fries, and a cronut we paid just $30. I think American's tend to forget that tax is included in your purchase and you don't tip waiters here. It is also incredibly pleasant when most your purchases are rounded up or down to either 0c or 10c. They don't have pennies here, so you won't get any odd price tags for $9.97. Paper bills consist of $5, $10, $20, and $100 and coins cover 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, and $2.

Another interesting item of note, most shops leave their doors wide open. Actually, quite a few of the doors aren't even capable of opening and closing in the normal way. I can't help but wonder what they do in the event of rain or winter weather. There are also no flies to speak of. I've been inside two eateries with doors wide open in the front and back and there have been no nasty bugs flying around. This really must be paradise!


Well, once again I must reconsider such a bold statement. Though New Zealand did provide me with my first-ever cronut, which turned out to be far more delicious than I ever could have imagined, it did take away something very near and dear to my heart: Ranch. Ranch dressing, ranch veggie dip, ranch chip dip, ranch flavor packets. They really don't have it. I was able to find a small bottle of what is advertised as ranch dressing, but I am quite skeptical. I will report back later and let you know how it goes.

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