Seatoun, Wellington, NZ

Seatoun is a seaside suburb of Wellington, about 20 minutes away from the city. My sister Linda and her Kiwi husband Hamish lived there for awhile, as he worked at the Film Studios in Miramar, the next town over. He was the key grip for Lord of the Rings, which saw him working all over New Zealand for a number of years. While living in a tiny, beachside house, they had the privilage of being the next bay over from their good friend Peter Jackson. While I never saw Peter while staying visiting them, we did to tour the LOTR set, which was amazing...we even got to touch all the costumes and watch them film a battle scene with a lot of Orcs.

There is no accommodation in Seatoun that I know of, although there are bound to be a few bed and breakfasts. Your best bet is to stay in Wellington at the Cambridge Hotel, which has clean and modern dorms. Wellington is my favourite city in all of New Zealand, and I've probably been there about 5 or 6 times. The city itself is worth several posts, which I will do if I ever get my photographs scanned (this were my pre-digital days). But, whatever you do, do NOT stay at the hostel across from the Railway Station. We walked out after 5 minutes. Trust me.

Oh and I JUST bought my tickets to New Zealand - Nov-28-Dec 20th - I'm coming back home, baby! It's been far too long - let the planning commence!