I am not typically a night club person but from time to time the draw of loud techno music and good vibes will keep me dancing all night. A hostel bar flowing with free awful beer, however is not really my thing. So, like any good culture snob when I found myself at a hostel with the “we give you free beer to keep the party here” night, I showed up long enough to taste the awful beer and confirmed that partying with the free beer crowd was not for me. Then, I headed up to the top floor kitchen to make a sandwich. (Unlike many people, I really really like sandwiches. I enjoy experimenting with different tastes and flavors in order to find out what combination of ingredients bring out the best tastes. Some people find it disgusting. I think of it as art.) If a hostel bar is giving out free beer and everyone in sight is bumping and grinding their neighbor, chances are an alternative gathering of minds is occurring somewhere else in the building. In this case, that location was the kitchen. Now, this “alternative” gathering was just as drunk as the free beer party (in fact, most participants probably drank several free beers and than wandered away from the bad 80’s music and scary girls) but instead of riding each other around the dance floor they were eating and talking and laughing about everything.

The extroverted Texan busker belted out song after song, acapella, to laughter and jeers while hostel staff workers complained about their jobs and passed on rumors (I hear the free beer is so bad the company could not even sell it to the Australians. So, their giving it away here). Meanwhile the Canadians were telling Natalie and I we sounded Albertan (from the province of Alberta) and a Mexican guy, who did not look Mexican, introduced himself as “Senior” while putting jalapenos in his Corona. Eventually the Texan left and returned reporting that the free beer line was to long. In his jolly disappointment he started singing the American National anthem. Natalie and I joined in with gusto while everyone else appeared confused. Soon enough, the lone German in the room (an oddity in itself as New Zealand is practically bursting with German backpackers) started singing in German. I assume it was the German National Anthem. This was rather funny, until he started making the “Heil Hitler” arm motion of the 3rd Reich. Then it was just awkward.

Given the opportunity, I would prefer to spend an evening with a group of locals  instead of a gathering of hostel rats,  but both groups can provide valuable insight into different cultures.

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Some road signs, despite their not so subtle assumption
about a driver’s intelligence, can be amusing. Many mountain roads contain signs like “Watch for Falling Rock”. I think these signs are funny. How is it not possible to see falling rocks? What should I do if a bunch of rocks start falling on me while I speed down a narrow mountain road at 70mph? Evasive maneuvers to avoid falling rocks was not covered in drivers education. I typically see these road signs and chuckle a bit to myself.

A few days ago, the chuckling ended abruptly.

At about 8:00am I was driving down a rarely used stretch of road connecting a remote beach to the main road. As I rounded a curve, I noticed that my lane, and most of the road, were completely blocked by rocks. It was not difficult to clear the rocks from a section of the oncoming lane (Natalie actually did it) and continue onward. Around the next curve however, I again found a pile of rocks covering the road. We once more cleared the rocks from the oncoming lane and drove carefully onward.

After repeating the “stop, clear road, and drive on” routine several more times, I started to reflect on my lack of appreciation for road signs. Perhaps my arrogant mockery (displayed above) is, after all, not entirely appropriate. I still am not sure what to do if I find myself driving through a storm of falling rocks. Speed up in order to get out from under the falling rocks? Stop and take cover in the car to decrease the force of the rocks when they batter the windshield? Stop, Drop, and Roll? Logic dictates that the “Watch for Falling Rock” signs should have initiated this thought process years ago. After all, what other point can these signs possess?

Road signs, despite my introductory rant, are not all useless. Although road signs do not provide very helpful information (such as what to do when your stuck in a landslide) they may give a driver, provided the driver is paying attention, with enough information to avoid a deadly mistake. Then again, they may just warn the driver of an unavoidable fate at the hands of statistics (i.e 1 in 452.5 cars will be hit by falling rocks this year. Congratulations,  that means you)

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With only 14 days remaining until we fly to Australia, our first “You Choose” question was, What one thing should we do before leaving New Zealand?

I can’t imagine why ‘Diving with Sharks’ won.  I don’t even like salt water, and I have always had a big fear of sharks.  If you have seen Jaws, you might know what I am talking about.  Frankly, I was hoping, “See a Rugby Match” would have won.  I’ve never seen a live rugby match.  It would have been a new experience too.  However, Diving with Sharks won and I willingly got into an aquarium with live sharks (much bigger than myself, or Justin) to dive for over an hour.

In Napier New Zealand, countless tourists show up at the National Aquarium for feeding time.  We had the option of entering the tank at feeding time for the opportunity to feed the fish, as well as the sharks.  I decided feeding the sharks sounded less frightening than getting into the tank an hour or so before feeding time.  What if they became really hungry, while anticipating their next meal, and went after me as a lovely appetizer?  Needless to say, getting into the water with a bucket of dead fish (about the size of my arm) to feed to the sharks is less intimidating than diving in the tank without offering a meal to the meat seeking creatures.  Feeding the sharks seemed like the perfect peace offering, as I aimed to keep all of my limbs attached to my body.

As I initially entered the water, and came face to face with a shark, I realized that I was no longer looking at it through the Plexiglas as the tourists were able to.  I was now in the same water as a shark, as a dozen or so sharks, and they were swimming tiny inches away from me.  I began thinking wild thoughts:

“This isn’t natural.  Humans are not supposed to willingly force themselves into a position where they are surrounded by hungry sharks.  Sharks can be seriously aggressive creatures.  I hope I don’t piss one off!!!”

Instead of entering panic-mode, I decided to resort to my recent dive training.  Stop.  Think.  And Breathe!  I was able to stay calm and actually began to enjoy myself after a while.  Then it was go time.  Time to feed my first shark.  I took one of the large dead fish from the lidded bucket we had brought underwater with us.  I kept the dead fish close to my body, as I was instructed.  Then the biggest shark in the tank began swimming near me.  I saw her eyeing me and the fish.  I realized I needed to offer the fish.  She swam smoothly towards me, opened her mouth slightly, and her clamped down on the fish with the swift motion of professional pitcher tossing the first strike of the game.  As she bit, I held the tail of the fish for a second or two.  I could feel her massive jaw vibrate my whole body as I continued to hold the tail.  I released the tail of the dead fish just before she chomped the rest towards the hundreds of teeth layered within her mouth.  Turns out, sharks are very beautiful creatures, that I can now appreciate on a new level.

I still cannot believe I actually went diving with sharks.  When we put the “You Choose” (poll) onto nomadbackpackers.com, I was hoping we would end up sea kayaking or something else less intimidating.  But now that I have my enriched appreciation for the aggressive beast, the shark, I want to personally thank anyone who discovered the poll and placed a vote.

Our next “You Choose” poll will center around Sydney, Australia.  Do you have any ideas?  We have never been to Sydney, Australia.  Should we go without a guide book.  Explore the city on foot with no other reference other than Sydney locals.  “You Choose”.  Feel free to vote now.

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I think it’s really important to leave room for spontaneous travel.  That being said, I am not a naturally spontaneous individual.  I love planning things and working out all the details until I feel confident that I am fully educated.  The daily rhythm of backpacking often forces me to shed my hyper planning tendencies.

Waking up on the edge of the world doesn’t happen through planning.  The following basic steps lead to waking up on the edge of the world.

1. We drove north from Wellington with no plan.  Ditch the guide book sometimes.
2. I saw a place on the map called Castlepoint.  There was a lighthouse icon in the atlas.  It intrigued me.
3. Justin and I spent about 20 minutes driving in circles searching for a tiny unmarked road.
4. Once we found it, we drove for an hour until we reached the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
5. Began exploring the surrounding bay on foot. Hiked through the cliffs around the lighthouse as the sun set.
6. Red wine on the beach.  Come prepared with glasses, a bottle and cork screw at all times.
7. Sleeping in the car.  It’s not glamorous, but sleeping bags and the ocean waves create a rather peaceful slumber.
8. Waking up on the edge of the world!  Hooray!!!
9. Climbing cliffs along the Pacific as the sun rises, equally amazing.

Travel like this does not occur everyday. A perfect formula for spontaneity does not exist.  In fact spontaneous travel, whether utilizing a guidebook or not, can lead to a miserable experience.  While a willingness to sleep in your car is good, it will not necessarily lead to a great experience such as, ‘Waking Up on the Edge of the World.’  Instead they are rare and to be treasured.

I am aware that some of our readers (all 8 of you) have taken part in numerous wild adventures.  Driving across America on a motorcycle, backpacking for months throughout the Middle East, and even meeting a stranger online to move thousands of miles in order to get married and live happily ever after.  Adventure occurs daily, it doesn’t have to be bungee jumping.

Please comment any ‘Waking Up on the Edge of the World’ stories.  It will be fun to vicariously live through each others adventures.

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New Zealand has a lot of small breweries and everyone appears to have a different favorite beer. Some beer drinkers are very excited about micro beers while others swear by their favorite mass produced macrobrews. What is the largest difference between macrobrews and microbrews? Why should I spend extra money on a micro brew?

You should spend the extra money on microbrewed beer simply because it tastes better.  If you are not dinking beer for the taste, then ask yourself why you are drinking it. 

Microbrewers are like great chefs in that they heave learnt the science and processes of brewing but approach the brewing with artisanal intent (hence the term “Craft Beer”).  The result, whether it is subtle or outrageous, is a unique flavor explosion.  Brewers of macrobrews know and follow the science and processes of beer making well.  Sometimes their beers can be really good but mostly they are like franchised food, consistently bland.

Microbreweries and their staff are also a valuable part of local communities.  Visit a local brewery or a bar stocking local beer and ask someone what else you can do in the town, you’ll be inundated with ideas.  Ask the same at a national chain, stocking national brands, and you’re likely be met with the blank response of someone who hasn’t been given a process to deal with this situation.

All New Zealand beer is unique to most overseas travelers and telling the difference between good beer and “so so” beer can be a real challenge. For newly arrived travelers what is a good way to find and sample quality New Zealand beer?

It’s a hard road to finding great beer here in New Zealand (just like it is in almost every other country in the world).  The longer you stay, the easier it becomes.  The internet is a valuable tool, as is the advice of locals.  The craft beer community is small and quite collaborative, so if you find one place with good beer they will almost certainly be able to pass on the names and directions to other great places… then your journey is underway.

If good craft beer is a “must’ on your trip to New Zealand, then the best advice I could give to a anyone is to check www.ratebeer.com for a list of great kiwi beers and then to post some questions to the forums at www.realbeer.co.nz about where to find these beers (and for any others that are still creeping under the radar).  The Society of Beer Advocates (www.soba.org.nz) is a beer consumer group with plenty of information and links to other beer friendly places.

Kiwis are very proud and very passionate about their beer. Are New Zealand brewers simply recreating recipes from Europe and North America or is this a period of innovation and experimentation that is creating new recipes and tastes?  What make New Zealand beer different than other beers around the world?

Yes and no.  Craft brewing in New Zealand is still very much in its adolescence.  It has, of course, been strongly influenced by brewing styles from around the world – firstly by British ales and German lagers, and more subsequently by hoppy American “west coast” ales – but it is starting to develop a personality of its own.  Our brewers are influencing each other as much as following the direction of their overseas peers.

In the last few years New Zealand has started to become well known for its unique hop terroir.  Pine and fruit descriptors are common, much like American craft ales, but the fruit in our hops is more commonly described as tropical fruits (as opposed to the ‘citrus’ associated with American hops).  I note strong herbal and spicy influences in much of our hops too, which may well stem from the fact that many of the prominent NZ hops are originally of central European origin (Germany and Czech Republic).  NZ hops, though still unknown in the wider world, are beginning to be exported to many of the leading lights of innovation in the brewing world.

We are also now seeing the infancy (or perhaps gestation) of a unique NZ malted barley terroir.  This industry is very much in its early days, and still has a lot of room for development and expansion, but I see it developing a lot in the next few decades.  Craft brewers were mostly using UK and German grown and malted barley and wheat for many years but are now slowly moving over towards New Zealand malt.

Every country has a different tasting room culture. Some tasting rooms are very formal almost like a stuffy wine bar, while others are quite informal. What should a traveler look for in a tasting room experience and what type of behavior should be avoided?

New Zealanders, especially in the metropolitan areas, are a pretty liberal bunch and will tolerate most behavior as long as it does not encroach on them.  We don’t mind if you want to drink wine or a macrobrewed beer (wink, wink).  Our bars generally don’t set concrete dress codes like they may have ten or fifteen years ago – and they certainly don’t expect you to wear a collar and tie into any restaurants, bars or clubs.

Bars serving craft beer vary from upmarket restaurant bars (even fancier than D4 where I met you guys the other day) to cafe-style bars or traditional “public bars”. I’m as comfortable at the formal end as the informal end, it all depends on my mood and the occasion.  Look for whatever you prefer in a bar, and where you feel comfortable.  Most craft beer drinkers are at the more open-minded end of the spectrum.

As a New Zealand beer expert, if a traveler could only sample 3 beers in New Zealand, which ones should they try and where would you get them?

This sort of question is always difficult as I’m the person that very rarely drinks the same beer on two different days in the same month.  I’m always looking for that perfect beer and enjoy the journey and the people I meet along the way. But, in saying all that, here goes:

Emerson’s Pilsner: The classic example of the new world style of “NZ Pilsner’ that has developed from our unique hop terroir.  Don’t expect a classic German or Bohemian style Pilsner from our beers.  Think of the classic interpretations with a fruity hop character more akin to an American Pale Ale (or New Zealand’s world famous Sauvignon Blanc!).

Moa Original (red label): Refermented in the bottle in the méthode traditionelle style that champagne is famous for. Floral and spicy, dry, bitter and complex. Extremely unique and an excellent apertif.

Renaissance Elemental Porter: A black hole of a beer – substantially malty with a complex array of fruity esters and hop flavor, and characterful roasty bittersweet finish.  It is much like, and goes well with, the very best dark chocolate or excellent espresso.

Brewery websites usually contain a section on where their beers are available.  These beers are generally available in New World supermarkets across the country.  The distribution information at www.ratebeer.com will help as well (it can be found in the header section of each beer).

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1. Easy access to outdoor activities (i.e. hiking, rock climbing, bike friendly, etc.)
2. An excellent micro brewery
3. Active and progressive theatre district
4. Walking friendly
5. Quality public transportation
6. Very friendly people

My list has about 10 other points but lets stop here. I am not wandering the world in search of Justin’s version of Shangri-La, and I suspect that Natalie and I will eventually find an acceptable home town. Truthfully, I don’t actually fear settling down, but I was hoping not to fall for a specific city (read: want to stay indefinitely) while nomading  Problematically, Wellington is the first place, since departing the States, I was not ready to leave. I can see myself living and working in Wellington. I want to aimlessly roam the streets and try coffee from every sidewalk cafe. I want to go to the Sevens with a big group of friends, all dressed as Steve Jobs. I want to invest in community theatre and learn everything I can about brewing quality beer. I want to ride in a personal cable car and make life long friends. For me, the city just felt like home. Like a place I can be myself.

Traveling the world has changed my perspective of the United States, providing me with a greater appreciation for my previous home towns (Livonia, Mi, Rockford Il, Kalamazoo Mi, Loveland, Co, Winter Park, Fl). I am not homesick I just miss the community that a static life provides. A nomadic life creates a never ending cycle of “single serving friends” and although this is always interesting, it can be a bit tiresome. I read somewhere recently that if while traveling

everything you see starts to remind you of home, it is time to go home.

Well, very few things remind me of home and I am not ready to hang up my backpack. But eventually, when I grow weary of living on the road, we will need to find a home. Perhaps, Wellington with its absurdly safe streets and quirky personality will become “home”.

Then again, the world is a big place and “home” can always be found around the next curve in the road.  .

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Read with a slight attitude: Forget that!  How about, what did you experience?  Who did you meet?

While developing a sustainable nomadic lifestyle, it is important to both Justin and myself not to get lost in the sea of tourists.  We attempt to approach our travel with a distinct understanding that “tourism” is not our intended goal.  Investing time into experiential travel is one method we utilize to enrich the nomadic experience.  Adapting our way of thinking to experiential travel has been, and continues to be, a process. Experiential travel requires a conscious effort to move past merely observing something to a place where experiencing something is possible.  Bungee jumping and other adrenaline junkie sports, despite Justin’s many persuasive attempts, is not experiential travel.  It’s adventure travel. I like adventure travel, I would just rather learn a skill than gain a temporary adrenaline high. If I can do both at the same time, bring it!

While living in Wellington, we signed up for and completed a SCUBA diving class.  I can’t say it was easy.  We had to go to class, take notes, read the textbook, pass the written exam, and demonstrate our practical skills both in the pool and the ocean.  The Discovery Channel makes diving appear simple, as if all a person needs to know about diving is how to take pictures of exotic fish. I guess its a bit unfair to bag on the Discovery Channel though, taking pictures of exotic fish is way sexier than learning about decompression injuries. Diving is complicated. In fact, I still have water in my right ear.

I suppose that’s an element of experiential travel.  It’s not supposed to be easy, or, for that matter, completely enjoyable.  Breathing salt water through your nostrils, 6 meters below the surface is actually more painful that breaking my nose while running into a wall at full speed. Trust me.  However, if I wasn’t up for a challenge, I wouldn’t have gotten into a wet suit in the first place.  While traveling, many days can be filled with visiting monuments and famous places (while taking pictures like a Japanese tour group), but that’s not why I’m living out of a backpack. I like monuments and famous places but travel is more about culture and experiences than national propaganda and photo ops.

Hello world, I’m Natalie and I want to experience you!

I believe Ariel, in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” sings it best, “I want to be where the people are, I want to see, want to see them dancing.”

And incase you didn’t understand, diving is not as easy as our carrot top mermaid makes underwater adventure look. But the fins do help and I feel amazingly victorious that I completed the class.  Now I am an, SSI certified Open Water Diver.  It means I can dive to a depth of 30 meters (100 feet), although I’m not planning on going that deep quite yet.  I’ll work up to it.  Which is one of the greatest elements of experiential travel.  You always have more to build up to, higher goals to reach, and a new mission to obtain.

Want to become a SCUBA diver?

1. Find an SSI dealer near you.
2. Inquire about when the next ‘Open Water Dive’ certification course will be held.
3. Show up for all classes and try your best.  Hopefully, you too can become certified and be my new dive buddy.  Sorry, Justin you swim too fast.  I want a new dive buddy who wants to swim slow and look at everything.

Diving is experiential travel for me, because I will be able to experience new environments all around the world, while I also aim to further my knowledge and abilities.  Experiential travel can bring a whole new level of excitement to travel.  Maybe you like going on cruise ships.  Have you ever asked to interview the captain?  Or asked to get a tour of the kitchen?  Or a sneak peak at the staff living quarters?  Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?  This is just a small example of taking your next vacation, trip or holiday to the next level.

However, breaking away from the mainstream travel industry to a world of experiences is not the easiest thing to do.  Look for the cooking class, the eco-tour, equestrian riding, performance sailing, or the opportunity to go SnowCat skiing.  Be creative and experience something you are not sure you will enjoy.  You may be surprised!

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Five Things to Do in Wellington When it Rains

1. The Film Archive: The New Zealand Film Archive is located in Wellington and it contains all movies and television shows ever produced in New Zealand. The Archive is FREE and well staffed, thus allowing anyone to quickly find and view hours of Kiwi entertainment. A cafe on site allows you to stay well caffeinated and dry while trying to understand the illusive Kiwi sense of humor. No ideas about what to watch? The Film Archive’s staff are passionate about Kiwi films and television so ask them for recommendations.
2. Te Papa: The famous “Museum of New Zealand”, Te Papa has a diverse number of exhibits ranging from Natural History to current Art displays and everything in between. Most of the museum is FREE and it is easy to lose track of the hours as you wander its densely packed 6 floors. Although much of the museum is geared more towards children than adults, the 2nd floor houses a interactive photo and movie display (entitled Our Space: The wall) that allows museum goers to manipulate images on a series of massive screen interfaces, 10 feet high and 100 feet long. This alone is worth the trip.
3. Internet Cafes: Wellington has almost as many internet cafes as coffee shops. Take advantage of a rainy day to catch up on your email, call home, and plan your next adventure. Take care of the logistics on a rainy day so you are not forced to waste sunny days with obligations.
4. Drink Coffee: Wellington has an active cafe culture, so use a rainy day to sample the local coffee and watch people. You won’t be the only one hiding from the rain in a coffee shop. Chances are you will meet any number of eccentric locals. In the mood to ignore people? Take a book and snuggle into a sofa when watching people loses its appeal.
5. Clothing on Cuba Street: Wellington’s Cuba street is loaded with eccentric clothing boutiques and quality second hand clothing stores. Spend part of a rainy day trying on local fashions and searching for that comfy pair of pants or perfect accessory. If your low on cash, this is still a great way to experience and witness the hub of Wellington sub-culture.

The rain is inevitable. Don’t sit around your hotel or hostel watching movies and moping about it. Get an umbrella and get out into the city. It may be dreary but their is plenty to do. If you only see Wellington in the sun, you are missing half the city.

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This is the type of city where a dozen girls get out of class, in private school plaid skirts (aka “the kilt”), walk to the harbor to strip down to bikinis and jump the 10 feet off the pier into the water.  Sorry guys, no pictures. The girls already seemed to be attracting enough attention without me snapping a few shots.  It’s also the type of city that a man in a full business suit will be spotted skating down the street on an electric deck.  That’s right, why own a Vespa or a Smart Car when you can plug in your skateboard at night and ditch the cost of Petrol?

After traveling New Zealand for well over 3 months now, this is the first place I can actually see myself living.  Breathing in the energetic life and culture is easy.  It’s a bit more difficult to put into words some of the things I have seen and experienced.  Maybe some of my photos will help.  Feel free to visit our gallery for a few more.

Wellington offers everything from Skaters to Doilee covered trees.  The Artistic energy flows through the city as fluid as it’s fountains and unites people from all over the world.  Through spending a few weeks in Wellington, I think it’s easy to say I will leave with the Wellington spirit. “Absolutely, Positively, Wellington!”

Wellington has also helped me further my knowledge on Parkour (it’s a French word).  I was able to meet 3 members of Physical Graffiti the Wellington based Parkour group.  Darren, Chris and Rowan all a part of the group allowed me to watch their sport in action.  Parkour is a rather unique sport that is growing in urban areas all over the world.  The sport involves the skill and agility of a runner or climber but the creativity and poise of an improvisational modern dancer.  It is incredible to watch, I recommend checking out Physical Graffiti in action on YouTube.

After casually interviewing the guys about the sport, Chris and Darren helped me to realize that it is a non-defacing activity, unlike skating.  At times skaters will grind in one place so many times that it causes deterioration or defacing of public buildings and property.  While Parkour allows the motion to be experienced with out the damage causing gear.  Please know that I am very pro urban skating, and not all skaters cause damage to the environments in which they skate.  And incase you were wondering, Parkour can cause many small injuries, especially scratches on the forearms.  Rowan shared with me that he has broken one watch and one cell phone.  So, although Parkour is FREE, it can become expensive depending on what types of fragile items you carry on your body.  If attempting to begin the new sport, I would begin slowly on grass.  Feel free to check out the basic form closer up.

Overall, I agree with Justin that Wellington does seem very clean, safe and friendly compared to the cities I’ve been to in the past. But, there is a unique art culture and vibrant life found in the Wellington Kiwis you just can’t experience up in Auckland (or anywhere else for that matter).  Wellington, you had me at “hello”.

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The problem is that, and this is really sick, Wellington does not feel like a “real” city.

Clean

It is clean. Although, not sparkling like a Scrubbing Bubbles commercial, Wellington is still very clean. For example, I pulled into a parking garage the other day to find a team of street cleaners giving the concrete a deep scrubbing with an industrial buffer. Cleaning a parking garage!?! Seriously? I watched them for about 5 minutes to see if they were filming a commercial or something. They weren’t. I like clean cities, but who would have thought the “Be A Tidy Kiwi” promotions (plastered all over the country) would actually work?

Safe

Wellington is an urban area. Traditionally, there must be a bad part of town. The wrong side of the tracks. A ghetto. This is true of every city right? The problem is, I can’t find it. I have wandered all over the city during the day and at night. I walked through the Lower Hutt and the Town Belt, down the water front and across the Theatre District. I moseyed down Cuba Street and up around Brooklyn and nowhere feels dangerous to me. I even walked, with Natalie, past strip club row without feeling any sense of personal danger. Often, when visiting a city, hostel front desk operators or locals will indicate which places should be avoided. Usually, this occurs without prompting. No one in this friendly town warned me about a “bad” area. I know this is a bit disturbing and, if anything I should be rejoicing in the safe nature of Wellington. A part of me does. Honestly. Another part of me feels out of place, like I’m a character in the Twilight Zone or the Wizard of OZ.

Friendly

People in Wellington are legitimately friendly. This friendliness does not belong just to the shop keepers or people who are trying to sell me stuff. Even people on the street are relatively nice. I like friendly people but friendly (gregarious even) strangers in an urban area kind of weirds me out. It is not that I have a problem with friendliness, it is just that urban areas are typically filled with busy, unfriendly people. Busy people don’t have time to be friendly and they don’t have time to make eye contact on the street. In fact, most busy cities function because everyone participates in an elaborate mind game that involves simply ignoring everyone else. Although anti-social, it cuts down significantly on road rage and homicides.

I understand it is cynical to quantify a city based on its apparent lack of the typical undesirable elements generally associated with urban areas.  I get it. Really. Problematically though, being in a city that is safe, friendly, and clean leaves me waiting for the other shoe to drop. When I know a city has a dangerous area, I feel…comfortable. Like a room with perfect Feng Shui. I know if I go there I will be in danger, and I know that the people who do go there also venture into the “safe” part of the city. Thus, I am never perfectly safe. That is fine as it keeps me on my toes. But, when everything is so clean so safe and so friendly, I slowly let my guard down. Comfort tends to breed negligence and a city, even a small one, is never perfectly safe.

Wellington,

You have nurtured my inner urbanite, helping me to once again find my equilibrium after spending so much time in the rural South Island. We have laughed together and walked together as I joyfully drank in your lights and your winding urban streets. Wellington, we have shared many beers and I have been thoroughly charmed by your theaters and your shops. The problem Wellington, is that I only know the good things about you. No no, don’t protest. I am sure there must be a darkness to your shiny exterior. But don’t worry Wellington, I will continue to laugh and play and allow you to rejuvenate me. But, you must know… I don’t trust you.

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