North Island Day Four
Happy Halloween! It actually took us a while to even realize it was Halloween. We both saw a woman in a pumpkin costume as we walked to get the car, and it hit us. It's not as big of a thing here as it is in the States. But it's celebrated because, well it's one more reason to drink around here!
Our last day in Wellington. Free tours of the Parliament building began at 10am, so we had a few hours to kill before that began. We sat down in the lounge where Hira messed with her registration and I continued to write my blog. Both buried in our laptops, it wasn't until 11:30am that we finally decided to do something. We headed upstairs for a PB&J lunch before heading off to the Parliament building. We arrived just before 1pm, which was unintentionally perfect, because the tours are conducted every hour on the hour. We were the last ones to join the tour, which meant we didn't have to wait around much at all. Now, I am not too educated with our system of government, let alone New Zealand's, but it was still pretty interesting! We even got to go into the House of Representatives, which is a very rare thing apparently. I wish I could tell you some fun facts that I learned about their government, but the only thing that really sparked an interest was its new earthquake-proof foundation. Basically the base foundation is separated from the rest of the building and is supported by these super strong coils. When an earthquake hits, the coils move with the base foundation and prevent the rest of the Parliament from shaking and potentially destroying the building. We also learned that the four stars on the New Zealand flag represent the constellation The Southern Cross. Hira had actually asked me that same question a day or so before. Glad we finally got our answer!
Happy Halloween! It actually took us a while to even realize it was Halloween. We both saw a woman in a pumpkin costume as we walked to get the car, and it hit us. It's not as big of a thing here as it is in the States. But it's celebrated because, well it's one more reason to drink around here!
Our last day in Wellington. Free tours of the Parliament building began at 10am, so we had a few hours to kill before that began. We sat down in the lounge where Hira messed with her registration and I continued to write my blog. Both buried in our laptops, it wasn't until 11:30am that we finally decided to do something. We headed upstairs for a PB&J lunch before heading off to the Parliament building. We arrived just before 1pm, which was unintentionally perfect, because the tours are conducted every hour on the hour. We were the last ones to join the tour, which meant we didn't have to wait around much at all. Now, I am not too educated with our system of government, let alone New Zealand's, but it was still pretty interesting! We even got to go into the House of Representatives, which is a very rare thing apparently. I wish I could tell you some fun facts that I learned about their government, but the only thing that really sparked an interest was its new earthquake-proof foundation. Basically the base foundation is separated from the rest of the building and is supported by these super strong coils. When an earthquake hits, the coils move with the base foundation and prevent the rest of the Parliament from shaking and potentially destroying the building. We also learned that the four stars on the New Zealand flag represent the constellation The Southern Cross. Hira had actually asked me that same question a day or so before. Glad we finally got our answer!
After the tour, we walked outside (and endured the wind, of course) for some touristy photos of the buildings. The nickname for the Parliament is the bee hive. Couldn't imagine why! One of the guy on our tour walked by us and asked if we wanted our photo taken. Selfies are usually our thing, but he was making a nice gesture so we accepted. Decent photos, yes. But the zoomed in one couldn't have been more awkward. He did not use the zoom function, instead he stood inches in front of us with Hira's iPhone practically touching our faces it seemed. Mo, as he told us to call him, then got really chatty with us. Sporting jandals (as they are called here), athletic shorts and a suit coat, he asked us where we were from, why we are here, etc - the typical questions you ask someone with an American accent in New Zealand. But then he got into his business on Facebook, which I didn't totally understand. But apparently it was something he wanted to bring into the States. He told us to look him up and like his page. It was then he asked for our names. My name was easy for him. But Hira's name, on the other hand, was practically impossible for him to say. In fact, I don't think he said it right once. Her typical response to confused newcomers is "it's like Kara, but with a 'H'. Hira." It's like he was incapable of making the 'h' sound. Lara Tara Fara, everything but Hira. He tried to spell it to understand. "H-I-R-A" I spelled, getting frustrated for her. He still couldn't get it, and decided to blame it on the American accent. Whatever dude. He also found it very amusing that we were marketing majors. I can't tell you why. But thank you sir, for laughing at my potential career path. I appreciate it. We finally talked our way out of that and headed towards the water. Whew.
We didn't get too far when an ad in the window literally stopped us in our tracks. I don't know if this is a thing at home or not, but McDonald's has sweet potato fries now! Hira and I love them and were even talking about them the other night. Our cravings took over and we shared some fries paired with aioli sauce, which is a popular thing here. Delish. But following a salty treat is a sweet treat of course. So we headed to the nearest gas station for an ice cream cone for Hira and M&M's for me of course. We then took a stroll along the boardwalk where we found another swing set and engaged in some prime people watching. We continued on down the boardwalk only to discover another inviting set of swings. It may sound boring to you, but it was a great relaxing day. Just because we are 20, 21 years old doesn't mean we aren't kids at heart!