Probably one of the most unusual Christmas Eve’s we have had in a long time. We got up nice and early to the sound of wind and rain outside our window. We dressed fairly warm, expecting a Vancouver wind and rain, then stepped outside to find it a lovely 15 degrees – quite warm despite the soft rain. We understand that this is a very welcome rain as the Hawkes Bay area has not had rain for several months, hence the brown hills surrounding the town. For us, it was the best day for rain as we plan on driving most of the day on our way to Wellington.
After checking out from our hotel we drove by and made a quick stop at the
Sunken Gardens
to take the pictures we had forgotten on our first day. Even in the rain it is truly beautiful. Then we headed south along Highway 2 through some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere. We drove through towns reminiscent of the origins of the inhabitants. Names like Hastings, Dannevirke, Pahiatua, Waipukurau, Carterton and Masterton.The route was pretty easy going until we reached Featherston where we stopped for lunch. From this point until we just a few kilometres outside of Wellington, the road was windy, steep and twisting. It is perched on the side of a mountain, so there is a steep mountainside on the left, and a drop off cliff on the right (the lane going the other way). We hugged the mountainside the whole way and Barb enjoyed driving, Harry wasn’t so sure about being in the passenger side!
Our arrival into Wellington was uneventful and we got checked into our lovely James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor,
which is only about a kilometre from Meghan’s home where we will head off to this evening, and again Christmas afternoon.We wish everyone who is checking in a Very Merry Christmas.
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