Programs Blog
A Birthday Gift: Sniffing My Pits at the Wellington Laundromat
March 06, 2024
Author: Brooke Levan, A Watch, Oberlin College ‘25
Ship’s Log
March 3rd, 2024
Position: Docked, 41° 17.091’S x 174° 46.816’E Ship’s heading and speed: Not moving, still at Wellington woopwoop Weather: many, but mostly sunny…until the end with some blustery gusts of force 9 winds!Hello hello from across the Pacific O!
We are officially back under way after some very lovely days at port in Wellington! Some of you may have received special calls with updates galore of all our adventures–it was so nice to hear from you all back home! After some days off the blog, I have the daunting task of summarizing what exactly we all got up to during our busy days in ANZ’s capital. Spoiler, it was a lot! March 1st, Day 1: First day in port, we speedily (yet thoroughly) ran through a field day to get the ship all spic and span. (I cleaned a side of the Hobart that I think had been forgotten about for some time–thick dust). We then all prepared to venture ashore. It was quite the transition leaving our cozy little ship into a bustling downtown. Everyone was quite impressed with our ship—I was feeling like a real celebrity as people marveled at our masts and asked to take pictures. Katie, Bethany, and I quickly set off on our mission to find a Laundromat. Sleeping bag sacks and backpacks stuffed with our salty laundry we had a nice jaunt through the city streets before arriving at our destined location. In between loads we jetted off on some mini adventures—including our first ice cream on shore! Peppermint and coconut peanut sesame, sooo yum! We were running on a real laundry high after our clothes came out. I couldn’t stop smelling how flowery goodness the armpits of all my shirts now smelt. And so very soft, huzzah! We happened to be docked close by the annual dragon rowing races that were taking place so we enjoyed some delicious Thai food at the waterfront and joined the crowds in cheering on the rowers! I got to end the day with a lovely sunset over the harbor before heading back to join Ms. Bobby for A watch dock watch. March 2nd, Day 2: We had an early start getting off the ship and speedily made our way up up up the steep hilled neighborhoods to reach a gorgeous Botanical Garden at the tippity top. It was well worth the hike. There was a lovely rose garden, various paths, and sculptures to enjoy. The roses not only smelled delicious but were each donned a special name—best one was a magenta colored rose named “Hot Pants.” We took the trolley back down the rolling hills, grabbed a quick, yet tasty lunch, and the jetted off to our tour of ANZ’s Parliament buildings! I didn’t have many/any expectations going in and was quite happily surprised by how much fun we all had! (Although I don’t know if anyone had quite as much fun as Chelsea who seemed to be living out her government major dreams standing behind the press conference podium!) Best fact that I learned was that royals can only walk on red carpet thus the legislation room is decked out with green carpets to keep them from too much meddling! Also, shout out to our awesome tour guide Liv and the super dinner recs she gave us J We spent the rest of the day wandering about—this led us primarily to various book shops, more food (at a place called Abrekebabra), and more ice cream! March 3rd, Day 3: I awoke early this morning to help with A watch morning chores. But this time as I wiped and sprayed all the handrails and stairs, I felt a little tingle, something different inside me…why it was the fact that I was a year older! Woohoo, birthday port day! Leaving behind a clean boat, my super birthday adventures began with a stop for pastries and coffee before heading to the highly anticipated Te Papa museum. This national museum is 6 floors of incredible interactive exhibits that explore ANZ history, environment, and culture. Some highlights included a super ginormous squid, nature bushwalk, and section on Maori rowing. Although that is just the small amount I could get to—after about 5 hours inside I had only seen about 2.5 floors! Once we were thoroughly museumed out we spent the rest of the day downtown finishing our final shore to-dos—more laundry, snack cravings, more books, some phone calls etc. By day 3 we were navigating the Wellington streets like true pros, no maps needed! I ended my day of festivities with a student family dinner in the park, a ginger beer toast (courtesy of Julia and Chelsea), and of course…a final ice cream! A huge shout out thank you to all my shipmates for making me feel so special on my 21st —you are all the sweetest and made me feel so celebrated! Next up on the cruise track, Kaikoura! Fingers and toes crossed we see a whale (we will surely let you all know if we do)! Cheers! Brooke Levan, A Watch, Oberlin College ‘25Recent Posts from the Ships
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- The Global Ocean: Hawai'i
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