A Green Day at Zealandia, Wellington

When J told me that we were going to Zealandia, I was out of my mind. I thought we were going to some kind of a garden and I was going to take that opportunity to dress up because I have not dressed up in a while and I miss it. So I put on  my favourite orange skirt, a black top and my summer sandals and went out of the room with my handbag. When J saw me, he politely suggested that maybe I would be more comfortable if I wore my trainers and use another bag because we would be hiking. I looked at him in disappointment but I couldn't argue because he did all the research and although I was reluctant to change, I knew he was right. So I went back in the room and changed into a more comfortable and more Zealandia-appropriate outfit.

I was really glad that I followed J's advice because otherwise, I would have gone home with broken sandals, or worse a broken foot. This is because we're always up for a bit of adventure so we took the more challenging track instead of the  paved route. The trail was rough and steep in some areas and there was no way I could have done the trail in those sandals. 

Anyhow, Zealandia is a beautiful wildlife sanctuary.  And even if we didn't see a lot of wildlife, the few birds that we saw are enough for me to say that Zealandia is worth a visit. I wish we could have stayed longer but we arrived quite late, about two hours before they closed so we didn't have much time. I also wish that I had a  superzoom camera because some of the birds were at a distance so I couldn't take good photos of them.

But regardless of our limited time in Zealandia and my 14-42mm camera lens (which I really love), I still enjoyed our trip because of the following reasons:

1. The Trees and Bushes
- There were a lot of greens that day and the trees and the bushes were massively beautiful. 

2. The Bridges
- I am not a fan of bridges really but in Zealandia, they have two - one suspension bridge and the other built on a dam. I was not very keen to cross either of them but since they were not swaying, I gave it a go and although I was a bit shaky, I quite enjoyed the experience. 

3. The Lake 

4. The Weta Cave
- When I first heard of Weta from J, I thought it was just the company that he was going to work for. And then one day he asked me if I knew that Weta is actually an insect. I had no clue. And so we went to the Weta Cave in Zealandia to see those little monsters. Imagine being in a cave with loads of Weta above your head? Cringe.  Even with a helmet on and a torch, I was still so scared that I kept telling J that we should go out. A guy heard me and said that there were actually bigger ones further ahead. Luckily J is also not so keen on adventures like this so we decided to go out, besides we already have seen enough Weta by that time. The Weta we saw in the cave were not that big really, but the ones on the trees were massive. 

5. The Birds
- We didn't even try hard enough, but we still saw some beautiful birds. Perhaps if you are patient and willing to stay at Zealandia longer, then you will see more birds. They also have a free guided tour. 


And indeed...


tintin x


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