WELLINGTON
Woke up today determined to have a better day.
Originally, we were supposed to be in New Plymouth for about 2-3 days and we would have done the Mt. Taranaki Hike, with an overnight stay at one of the huts, but due to my late arrival in NZ all of those reservations were surrendered.
So instead, we decided to stay only 1 night to salvage some of what we had originally intended to do in the area, minus the hike.
The drive to Wellington should have been 4-5 hours, but since we wanted to do some New Plymouth sight seeing, today was about to be a travel heavy day on the road.
First stop- Breakfast. Aunt Jo did it again with a sold recommendation to Wild Pear Kitchen. I saw Trukish Eggs on the menu and knew that’s what I had to order. Housemade tzatziki, organic eggs, sourdough toast topped with wild weed pesto and chilli oil- sounded divine. I wanted to share it with Laura but she wasn’t keen so I ordered it just for myself.
3 poached eggs and 2 pieces of toast later, I wanted to waddle. I had noticed that Aunt Jo, since yesterday, was starting to look a little worn out and tired and to do something nice for her, I wanted to get her flowers. I had seen a florist Bow + Petal next door when we were looking up this place earlier and figured I could sneak out at some point to grab something small. After finishing what felt like first breakfast all the way to Elevenses, I went to go check it out and it had some gorgeous dried stems that would look beautiful in the glass blown vase we had bought her from Vancouver. When I went to pay for the few stems, the shop owner refused to take my payment and insisted I keep the stems on the house.
The dried Kangaroo Paw had this beautiful faded fuchsia/ maroon colour, and there was a daisy that was created with wooden petals. I was blown away by the shop keepers unexpected generosity in a world where people just take.
Next stop- Govett Brewster Art Gallery. I had seen pictures of this gallery and it looked pretty cool. The outside of the building looks like a rippled mirror, which had me curious about what kinds of exhibits it would have on the inside. There was a $12 fee for Aunt Jo, Laura and I (Uncle Von would get free admission as he was over 65), so we decided maybe not, as we were low on time and if were just going to do a quick spin through the gallery, it didn’t make sense to pay that much. As we were contemplating this, the lady at the counter at the gallery, said just go take a Quick Look- don’t worry about it. Again- Is this a New Plymouth thing? Or was Dad trying to ensure I was occupied and had a good day? We were given free admission into the gallery, which might’ve been a small gesture, but it seemed abundantly generous, again in a world full of takers.
Next stop - Te Rewa Rewa bridge. This bridge was in the middle of a beautiful park, that extends across the Waiwhakaiho River. It’s well known for the design looking like breaking wave or a whale skeleton, with a view of Mt. Taranaki framed by the ribs. It was just a quick stop but it was clear day, with a clear view of the mountain so of course we took some pictures.
Our last stop in New Plymouth was to visit a familial estate that was gifted to the city by one of Aunt Jo’s family friends, who seem like they had founder status in the city. The estate was magical. I can’t imagine the childhood her late friend Richard Webster must’ve had growing up in this secret garden of an estate.
At this point we’re almost at mid day, and now we were finally ready to head out of New Plymouth enroute to Wellington. Of course, as soon as we were in the car for a long drive and I had a moment to be still with my thoughts, the sadness started creeping in. So I did what I do best- avoid my headspace by filling it with stories; I started reading a book. I did not dare to put it down for scenery lookouts, conversation- nothing.
After several hours we finally made it to Wellington at our Hotel, around 6:15 and we had a dinner reservation (courtesy of foodie Aunt Jo) at 7. So we had about 20 minutes to freshen up and start walking down to Siem Reap for some Cambodian food. While I was waiting, I decided to check up on Mom. FaceTiming Mom. Has been so hard, because I’m not with her and I can see she is hurting. I can’t help her, not that anything I say or do will take her pain away.
Walking to Siem Reap, I was pensive, distracted and a little sad. I was trying to reign in what felt like gloominess that seemed to have started spilling out of me so that I didn’t impact anyone else’s hunger and excitement for this meal. Aunt Jo really does know how to pick them as the meal was delicious.
I managed to pull myself together for the meal, but as soon as we all started talking about our childhoods, my mind was immediately drawn back to the source of my happy childhood that no longer existed. To his laughter that I could still here, to his then face I saw for the last time in a casket, just resting with a slight smirk on his face. I feel so utterly, completely and permanently devastated, just going through the motions of living while not really buying into it anymore.
The walk back was a quiet one, I just wanted to get back to comfort of some privacy where I could take my dark cloud away from raining down on others. But I still managed to kissed good night with another beautiful sunset.
Miss you Dad, I wish I had taken you with me on more adventures.
