Back home, one of the tv shows that we got roped into is Lost. For all of the ridiculous things that happen on that show–and there are many ranging from mysterious black smoke that drags people away, a tropical polar bear, and an island that has apparently moved–the most unusual thing may be the extreme amount of “neck sweat” that the characters constantly sport. Yeah, I know it’s a tropical island, but it always seems a bit over the top. And who really sweats from their neck so much? We’ve never experienced that kind of sweating–until last night.
Yesterday was our last full day on the North Island for awhile, and we went out in style. We woke up at Battle Hill Regional Park and were given a treat of fresh eggs from the chickens on this working farm/forest park. It was just the beginning of a day of indulgence. After making the short drive into Wellington we made a quick trip to the library and then headed to the legendary Embassy Theater. The Embassy is a beautiful old theater that played host to the Lord of the Rings movie premieres. I have never seen a movie in a theater quite like this–and we just about had it all to ourselves for an 11:00 am showing of Slumdog Millionaire. We had our pick of the big leather chairs and settled in with Coke and popcorn in hand. We decided that we would splurge a bit, so we checked into the Bay Plaza Hotel overlooking Wellington’s beautiful bay. We did have a great view of the bay right from our bed–an old photo of the bay in 1929 graced the wall of our room, otherwise all we could see was the hills and houses overlooking the bay. Wrong side of the hotel I guess, but it suited our needs perfectly. Shower, bed, refrigerator, and just a few minutes walk from The Front Room–a music venue where we would later see Old Crow Medicine Show in their first ever Wellington performance. What a treat!
Before the show we had an incredible dinner at Sweet Mother’s Kitchen, a creole style place also just a couple of blocks from the hotel. We had been there the weekend before with the Triggs and Ursula, our favorite fellow WWOOFer. Ursula had steered us there after the beer festival and picked a real winner. Finally some spicy food!
By the time we walked over to the music venue there was already quite a line of folks waiting to get in. The Front Room was the perfect venue to see Old Crow–one big room, a balcony and two bars. No chairs, no tables, and a fired up Kiwi crowd. And, there was also no ventilation whatsoever. It didn’t take long into the opening act to realize that things were heating up. After just a few songs, we couldn’t take the crush of people up front and made our way up to the balcony where things weren’t so crowded. And that’s where the neck sweat really started. It was so hot and humid that we, and everyone else, were drenched head to toe. It was so bloody hot, as they say here, that the bass player spent most of the show shirtless. We did our best to show everyone how things are done back home in the States and I think we nailed it. It was really such a treat to get a little taste of home here in NZ. It was a great way to close out our time on the North Island, and we can’t wait to stop by Sweet Mother’s for dessert on the way back north. After eating three meals there we never had enough room, so it will just have to wait.
One thing we’re learning along that way is that we take free internet for granted back home. Most libraries, cafes, etc. do not provide free internet access and it can actually be a bit pricy to hop online. As we head south, it might be harder and harder to get online, so the posts may come a bit slower. We’ll try to keep us as best we can!
