I woke up Saturday to a grey drizzling mess outside. The plan had been to explore the neighborhood but that idea was quickly shelved. Instead I went to see Iron Man 2 with my 12 year old cousin, I'm not quite sure who was more excited:) After the movie, which was amazing, I went home to work on some lesson plans. When the weather cleared up Michelle (a friend of the family who is staying with Alana and Tony) and I went into the city to have dinner. I was really excited to finally get to walk around the city. I can't wait to go back and explore it a little more during the day. This picture is of the main restaurant and theater area. What I like about Wellington, is that for a big city it is quite relaxed and low key, but still vibrant.

And they have a Paramount theater as well.

Sunday was freezing cold, but I woke up to the sounds of a crackling fire. Most homes in New Zealand don't have central heating so they use space heaters when a room gets cold, and a fire when you want to warm the whole house; and man does it work! Even though it was really cold, it was quite beautiful outside so I decided to explore the neighborhood I will be calling home for the next two and a half months. Here is a picture tour of the neighborhood...

This is the house where I am staying...

and the street I live on.

And a wee little pond down the street from my house.

The neighborhood, calledWhitby, is built on a cliff along this bay

It really is quite beautiful here

Finally when I returned home I thought it would be a good idea to do some laundry. One of the many things I love about the Kiwis is their environmentally conscious nature. Why use a clothes dryer when you have a perfectly good fire to dry your clothes, no electricity necessary!