From Wellington to the South Island

It was a long drive to Wellington---in a country with 4 million people and 48 million sheep…about 12.5 sheep per person. (Not counting the 9 million cattle). We got into Wellington without any major problems, found our hotel and an over-priced Greek restaurant before heading to bed.

The next day we were off to the South Island…
Our rental car company provided for a drop-off/pick-up service to avoid transporting your car from the North to South Islands. So, we dropped off our Sunny and picked up our ‘shit-box” on the other side in the town of Picton. It was a day of more twisty roads before arriving into Nelson. We found another in-town pub/hotel and met Pete and Rick- Norton and Triumph owners. After our visit to the WOW museum, we re-met them in the pub and had a wonderfully sloshed night of wine and a late dinner (at least I think food was involved…)

The WOW Museum was WOW! Founded in 1987 when a local woman decided to hold a fashion show to highlight ‘wearable art’, it gradually grew into an annual event and drew participants worldwide. The costumes in the museum were absolutely fabulous. They were made with everything imaginable- wood, paper mache, copper wire, soft drink cans—even lighting fixtures. The favorite competition is the “Bizarre Bra Award”. They were hysterical—especially the 34 Bee Cup—with tea cups for the cups and bees on wire flying around them. Or the Chandelier Bra- made from actual chandeliers- that lit up.