I told Matt that in retirement, I had to live next to water. I have promised myself my entire life that I would live at the beach. This may be my chance. Wellington is on the southern end of the North Island. There are beach towns arrayed along the Kapiti Coast, the west coast north of town. These towns are not as expensive as living in the city and they have a great view. Even better, their weather is not as harsh as Wellington for reasons that have to do with wind patterns.
Most people in Wellington consider the Kapiti Coast very far away. The drive is 40 minutes. As people who lived in D.C. and dealt with traffic from an outer suburb, a 40-minute drive is a piece of cake. So we are thinking we might live on the Kapiti Coast. We visited this past weekend. Here are some pics.
A Yank Among the Kiwis 