Ferry, Sheep and Somes Island

Hello friends! Its only been a week since the last  post, so I'm pretty proud of myself right now if we are honest. Although I spent another weekend in my host city, we took a Saturday trip to Matiu/ Somes Island by ferry from the Wellington Harbor-side. Also, by we, I mean my abroad buddies -Ellie, Sammy and Chip whom woke up early on Saturday morning to venture to this conservational island. It has recently been opened to the public, and we had to go through biosecurity upon our exit from the twenty minute ferry ride. This basically means we had to check out bags, brush all the mud and crap out of our shoes and then sterilize them before going on a 40 minute loop around the island. Its actually kinda nice that Kiwis actually care about their environment so passionately, as we were told it was wildlife was the priority here. We were set free to roam about after a safety briefing to explore this ex- military quarentine station.

There were sheep all over the island to help keep the grass in check ( according to our park ranger ) and we were more than welcome to go into their pens and say hi. Unfortunately, the little guys didn't really like me and kept trying to run away - I got close but not close enough to take a shameless selfie with them. However, when we got to their grounds, we noticed  one in particular that looked like it had been injured. We soon realized it was a mama sheep and she had just given birth to the little guy next to her. It was adorable. We watched them for awhile, and then the mama took a rest and sat down. As we were leaving, we turned back around and wham there was a little yellow puff ball with a wagging tail! Surprise! A second kid! It was a magical moment. Here they are! 

I know a little gruesome but its the miracle of life! 

Looping around the island we saw a lighthouse and embraced the peacefulnessof being almost completely alone on a tiny island. The views were unbelievable and made the very cold and blustery day more bearable. I enjoyed seeing another sleeping seal and hanging out with some sheep! Rumor has it that there is also penguins on this island, but we were unlucky and were not graced with their appearance. I want to go back when its a little warmer ( I was really underdressed for the weather but Wellington is so unpredictable) and maybe see more of the wildlife Somes Island has to offer and perhaps bring a picnic with me. But in the meantime, here are some fun pictures of the lovely place which is also beautiful in the middle of winter! 

Thanks for reading!