The Wellington morning commute. Not by a car crammed motorway, but by foot. If you do Wellington the right way, you will be skinny like the Parisians but with much bigger calf muscles. The Wellington commute calls for an early start, especially to compensate for the most essential part of your day, coffee. At 7:30 am the front door shuts, rather, slams behind you with a gust of wind as you leave the house. If its raining you run to the bus stop and either miss it by seconds as the smug bus drivers pretends to not see you, or its packed full of snapper card holders succumbing to weakness. By foot remains your only option.
Walking around the bays from Hataitai Beach towards the city goes one of two ways. Much like a plane, you will benefit if you have tale wind. A good day consists of a southerly which, all though colder, will get you to work with extra time for your coffee fix and newspaper read. A northerly, on the other hand, might be a bigger battle then your planned phone call with your least favourite stakeholder.
The coping mechanisms of a northerly include wearing pants instead of a skirt or dress, no hat, hair up, head down and leaning forward slightly for better balance. Switching over your daily podcast, which you won’t be able to hear over the screaming gale, to your obnoxious gym playlist, will give you extra motivation which is essential given that the next forty minutes will be worse than your CrossFit session that you have planned that evening. Arguably, regular 100km gusts abandon any need for a gym membership anyway. Not to mention the hills.
On a strong gust day, which will occur on at least half of your walks to work each week, it is important to be alert and stay strong. If it is raining, do not even consider the use of an umbrella, we have all made that mistake. If it is not raining, a raincoat is still a good idea to keep your work clothes dry from the oncoming sea spray and the occasional wave that smashes onto the footpath. Keep focused, despite the wind making your eyes leak do not shut them! a wheelie bin on the loose might just be heading in your direction. Keeping that upcoming coffee at the front of your mind is the key to endurance.
When you finally make it into the sweet, sweet, shelter of the buildings on Lambton Quay you have less than twenty minutes to sort out your priorities before heading into the office. This is a straightforward task. Coffee first. Worry about the fact that you left home with perfect makeup and hair but now look like you have been dragged through a bush backwards second. Everyone, but those who commute via train, understands. As you wrap your hands around your cup of mojo and squish onto the end of a packed table of other windswept survivors, take your first sip and breathe. You have just conquered the biggest challenge of your day, the Wellington Commute. Unless of course the wind changes direction for your commute home.
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