Wellington & Te Papa Museum

We woke up in Feilding to a beautiful morning, the sun shining and the air crisp. After the chaotic midnight escape from the abandoned nightmare campsite, it felt good to start the day in a normal, peaceful place.

We took our time waking up, had cereal for breakfast, and then spent some time cleaning up the van—since we had left in such a rush the night before, everything was still in disarray.

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The Drive to Wellington (A Comedy of Roadblocks)

The drive to Wellington should have been about 1.5 hours, but it ended up taking much longer due to a series of annoyances:

• Road construction and closures forcing us to reroute multiple times (and lead others behind us down backroads which we found hysterical…the blind leading the blind!)
• Confusing signs that had us second-guessing our path
• Getting lost at one point, which meant having to double back

By the time we finally rolled into Wellington at noon, we were more than ready to park and explore.

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Te Papa Museum – A Deep Dive into New Zealand’s History

We parked at the Te Papa Museum in their overnight parking lot ($30). Originally, we had planned to make lunch in the van, but after the long drive, we decided to just grab food inside the museum instead.

• I got a mince and cheese pie and a sausage roll (classic Kiwi food).
• Sarah and Xander split a burger combo, and Sarah declared it “the best burger she’s ever had!”

Fueled up and ready, we spent four hours exploring the museum, covering levels 2, 3, 4, and 6.

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Level 2 – New Zealand’s Natural & War History

Incredible nature exhibits showcasing New Zealand’s wildlife, geography, and unique ecosystems.

A special WWI exhibit about New Zealand’s contributions to the war, particularly the Battle of Gallipoli.

Massive, hyper-detailed models of soldiers—twice the size of an actual human—bringing their stories to life in a way that was both haunting and breathtaking.

The Maori involvement in WWI was also covered, which was fascinating to learn about.

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Levels 3 & 4 – Maori Culture & History

• We dove into Maori history, customs, and traditions, seeing artifacts, traditional structures, and learning about their struggles and resilience throughout history.
• The level of detail and respect in these exhibits made it one of the most engaging cultural experiences of the trip so far.

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Level 6 – Stunning Views of Wellington

• The museum’s top level had a viewing deck, giving us a panoramic look over Wellington—absolutely beautiful.

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Evening in the Van – Good Food & Games

After soaking in all that history, we headed back to the campervan and made taco salad for supper—and it turned out really, really good.

For the rest of the evening, we kept things cozy:

• Played a few rounds of Dungeon Mayhem (which always gets competitive).
• Continued watching Avatar (still great).

It was a fantastic day, filled with learning, great food, and a much calmer night compared to the previous one!

As always, you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Embrace the adventure, cherish the memories, and I’ll catch you tomorrow for day 8!

#NewZealandAdventure #LordOfTheRings #DreamTrip #Travel #40thBirthday #MiddleEarth #BucketList #AdventureAwaits

-Rob ❤️