simonmarkellis

When three expat familes ventured across to Somes Island
Simonmarkellis, Danny F and Paladin together with familes..

simonmarkellis

more...

luvwelly

Simon
Are you the one in the shades?

simonmarkellis

Hope that' Dave (Paladin) I'm the other one with glasses...

Here's more...

simonmarkellis

And more... can you see the Penguin?

simonmarkellis

Last one...

luvwelly

Yes..so cute...do you just take a ferry across to this place? Must get out more...did the Botanic Gardens today.

simonmarkellis

Thankyou darling...Yeh, pick it up from Queens wharf $18.50 return under 3's goes free other wise about $9 for kids... takes about 20mins to get there... Take food and drink with you...

Maz

Brilliant piccies Simon! Who's that comatose on the bench? Cute penguin too! Was she alone? We saw Soames Island from Wellington in April and I wanted to go there but we just ran out of time. I love islands (just as well ) and wanted to go to Kapiti Island as well.

Aren't they superb? Daughter and I trekked through them in April, absolutely stunning!

jennifer45

The Dominion Post Ferry.
Fab mode of travel for commuters from Eastbourne to the CBD.
Expanded routes to Petone and Seatoun. But Days Bay has the most regular connections.
The evening sailings 4.30 onwards from Queen's Wharf(CBD) have to be experienced to be believed!
Every accent- Scottish/Irish/Geordie/ Yorkshire/Lancs/ Southern/ smattering of Kiwi amongst German/French!! The drink from the below deck fully stocked bar flows as freely as the current in the harbour. (has to be paid for!)
Friday evening crossing need to get there early. Most of the returning commuters finished work at 3pm and are well tanked up before it sails!
Sorry--- I exaggerate!
They are lovely, happy , relaxed folk returning to the bossom of their families after a hard weeks slog at the work face of commerce!

simonmarkellis

That's Alex, he kept complaining that we were taking so long to walk round. Yep the penguin was on her own sitting on her egg according to the guy who told us where to look for her...

danny.f

That pic is superb-well clearer than what we saw.Was a good walk.Kids were cool.

luvwelly

Yes my kids love the play area and the tram up. The good news is that the cafe in the Rose Garden has now reopened - it was closed when we arrived in June. I went to Kew Gardens in London the weekend before coming out here and although they are much more extensive, in some ways I prefer the hilliness of the smaller Wellington version.
Good point Simon made about taking your own food and drink to the islands....I do like walking mixed in with hospitality!

birkinshaw

Hi all, we have now been in wellington for 5 months and are loving every minute.

Is there much to see and do on the Somes Island?

We're looking for places to visit so was wondering?

Birkinshaw

simonmarkellis

Hi,

it's not a full day out. There's nothing on the island except wildlife and a small visitor centre at the top (un maned). So you won't spend any money once your there. You'll need to take provisions with you. If you pick a nice day the view back at Wellington is terrific as well as looking over Day's Bay. It's basically a pleasant ferry ride (20 mins) to it and a good leisurely stroll round for a few hours. You can see various kinds of wildlife, but you'll need help to find the penguin sitting inside the pipe (we did). It's basically the cost of your ferry ride. We enjoyed it and will probably do it again at a later date...

Simon