On to Waimate, Mate!

Our final day in Wellington included a trip to the Te Papa Museum in Wellington. It is a culture and history museum focusing on the European and Maori New Zealanders. It is very well done. After our group tour, Ruben and I spend a lot of time in the the museum's Gallipoli exhibit. Spectacular. There were very large, very lifelike wax figures of selected participants followed by explanatory exhibits. We stayed until they kicked us out of the museum because it was closing for the day.

Thursday morning we traveled to Timaru. Our one suitcase each seemed pretty big at home, and this is why we limited ourselves to one each. We have to haul them around city streets to take buses to get to airports. Get used to seeing the same clothes in most of these posts.

Timaru airport in its entirety. I don't think these people
are flying anywhere. They are just hanging out.

Self-serve luggage claim.

Waimete (pronounced why-metty), where the surgery at which Ruben will work during December is small. Really small. No stoplight, no fast food, and most businesses are only open partial days. The bank, for example, is open 9-11 and 1 to 3. The library is open 10-1. The movie theater plays a movie on Wednesday and Friday. The main street is pretty depressed, with lots of empty storefronts. There is a small grocery store.

Yes, that is a washing machine in the kitchen. And a tiny refrigerator.

We have no wifi in the flat we have been assigned, so I don't know how often I'll be posting. Right now I am in the parking lot of the library using their fee wifi (it is currently 7:10 pm on Saturday, 2 December). I expect to start camping out inside the library starting Monday, when we both get back to work.

Friday we explored a tough, tough track to the White Horse Monument outside of town. Beautiful, but hot and humid. Today we went to the local outdoor pool then to the big nearby town of Timaru for lunch. They were having Christmas parades. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beach (Pacific Ocean). We walked down to the beach after lunch then back through town. Even in this larger town, all the shops close up at 1 pm on Saturdays. Tomorrow we will check out the local Anglican church. I have a lead on a yoga class someplace called Hunter's Hall. I think someone at church will know where that is, and maybe if the class is still on. I miss YouTube.