#7 North to South

Five hours of driving (and stopping for sights and fresh strawberries). The scenery has become less like Wales, and more like Scotland; dark conifers on the side of craggy mountains, although less signs of glaciation. I arrive in Wellington, where the houses look like a giant tub of white Lego has ben spilled and scattered at the bottom of the mountains.

After checking in and dropping my bags I drove to the airport to hand over my hire car. The brief walk back was quite exciting - it included walking under the runway. Very well reinforced with steel beams.

With a free day in Wellington I chose the scenic route into the centre - including the "Hobbit Hideaway" and the view at Victoria's Mount, making friends along the way with Riley, a sprightly 13 year old Westie.

Views of the area from the lookout are impressive; this is a place with visible geological history, as well as Maori and European history. Maori religion and mythology reflect an understanding of the geological movement, bound into tales of the land, the sky, the sea, the trees, the rocks and the animals being instrumental in creation and still active. A small recognition of this is visible in mouri stones placed in the entrance to some buildings.

The museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongawera) provides a fascinating insight into the story of New Zealand. It holds a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi. Not a single document, but multiple documents taken to various places around the coast by a number of different people. The English version holds the signatures of fewer than 50 Maori chiefs, whilst the Maori versions account for about 500 chiefs.

In every language there are words which cannot be directly translated, often because they reflect a cultural concept which is unique, or not widely present in other languages (hwyl and hiraeth come to mind). It appears that sovereignty is one of these words. Maybe related to the concept of the reigning monarch having direct authority under a single creationist God

The English version of the treaty is contentious; it includes the concept of sovereignty. The Maori translation does not.

Outside the museum, in the heat of the harbourside there are cafes, a skate park and a multi-stage diving platform next to the harbour office. Here there were a group of teenage boys, supporting each other to jump from higher platforms and to make bigger splashes. Between them this developed into an orchestrated game where they all jumped from different points, resulting in a sequence of bigger and bigger splashes in quick succession. Serious, collaborative, fun; play as it should be with encouragement and cheering, but no edge. A delight to watch, and an intended spectacle, with no single "alpha" male or visible hierarchy.

Taking the ferry form Wellington across to Picton and the South Island provides yet more scenery to enjoy, and also the alternative of an enclosed quiet area - with fitted and loaded bookshelves full of "read, swap, or just take" book; plenty of quiet contentment going on with a backdrop of floating mountains and clouds.

From Picton to Kaikoura the bus passes through valleys and mountains, looking how I imagine Scotland would look with more sun and much less rain, and vineyards alongside sheep and cattle. Arriving in Kaikoura on Christmas Eve it was misty, with clouds shrouding the mountains and another black beach stretching out along the bay. Christmas flags, but there's not much point in putting lights up when it only gets dark after 9pm. My first warm Christmas awaits.