Wellington, New Zealand

Before moving to New Zealand, Derik and I were 70% sure we were going to settle down on the North Island in Wellington. The city somewhat resembles the quirky, active, inviting atmosphere we left back in Portland, Oregon, and we were ready for that again. We were still open to other places, and that’s why we decided to campervan around New Zealand until we found the place that fit us. We chose Dunedin which happens to be near the bottom of the South Island. It’s not quite the hustling, bustling little city as Wellington is, but it’s full of history, things to do, and coffee shops. Derik was also given a great opportunity job-wise, so that was a huge factor in our decision to stay.

That being said, in the brief time we had in Wellington, Derik and I had a blast. We only had 1 1/2 days there due to the weird ferry schedule, and it was either stay there for that short amount of time, or stay for 7 days. We only had the campervan for 3 weeks, and we knew if we stayed, that would cut a big chunk out of our road trip adventure.

We would love to go back to Wellington soon and experience it during summer! There is so much we didn’t have time to see. We did manage to go to the Sunday Harborside Farmer’s Market, which was beyond amazing: food, shopping, culture, and fun!

We also made a side trip over to Kaitoke Regional Park, which is known as the filming location of Rivendell (LOTR). You won’t find a magical movie set like Hobbiton – there are only a couple set pieces on location left over from filming to mark the spot. It was still fun to visit, and the natural beauty within the park is more than enough to go visit.