Wellington

[Sarah here...] We flew into Wellington on a blustery Thursday afternoon, with winds blowing so hard they were shaking the plane as we sat at the gate waiting to de-board.  A quick shuttle bus into town took us to the YHA, our home for the next three nights and right across the street from the fire station (good news for me!)

As my Mom would say - Bonjour, firemen!

Wellington is New Zealand's capital city, and sits on a lovely harbour ringed by crater-like hills.

At one point during our time there I stumbled across this phone booth and thought that I would use it to call the rental car company that I needed to get in touch with.  But when I walked up, emblazoned on the side was "French Telecom".  The plaque at the base of the phone booth says that this phone booth is connected to another in Corsica, France, and if you pick up the receiver you will hear the "sounds of life in Corsica".  Similarly, there is a phone booth in Corsica that will relay "New Zealand sounds" (whatever those are - sheep, maybe?) to the listener.  I picked up the receiver and heard... nothing.  So much for that idea!

On a little beach in the harbour I found these mini star fish - so cute!

Here sit the former offices of the Harbour Board.  A lovely building.  The Board wielded a lot of power over Wellington for many years.  Now inside is the Wellington Museum of Land and Sea, which has some impressive displays.

Sails in the plaza outside the museum.  Vaguely reminiscent of the Pan Pacific, perhaps?

[Note from Chad: New Zealand is a famously anti-nuclear country. It does not want any nuclear power or weapons on its territory, and good for them. A couple of decades ago the above sign welcomed people to Wellington near the airport - it was torn down, but collected and preserved in the museum.  You might also recall that Auckland Harbour was where the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk by the French, who were upset at its opposition to French nuclear testing in the south Pacific.]

[Note from Chad:  Rugby is to New Zealand what hockey is to Canada.  And I think the above story has parallels in Canada. Most would say we came together as a nation after the battle of Vimy Ridge in WWI, but others would say that the biggest shared moment to modern Canadians was the "Summit Series" hockey games vs. the USSR in 1972.  But we had a lot tougher time with the Soviets than the All-Blacks had with the British.]

[Note from Chad: the Wahine disaster of 1968 is also captured in the museum.  Wellington Harbour is a very large bay, protected on all sides from the open ocean apart from a somewhat narrow entrance on the SE side (you can see it on the map, above).  The ship Wahine was motoring into Wellington Harbour during a cyclone (wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour) when it hit a reef, shearing off one of its propellers and killing the other engine, leaving it pretty much helpless and drifting.  It moved a bit further into the harbour, and in full view of the city (there is TV footage), proceeded to roll onto its side and start sinking.  Lifeboats were launched and many people survived, but many died and were washed to shore.]

While out on a walk with a crappy map I was looking for Parliament and stumbled upon the building below.  I couldn't believe that this was Parliament!  The building on the left is called the Beehive, and I think it's pretty damn ugly.  [Note from Chad: it's not so bad - at least they keep it up and it has a strong theme.  Besides, they couldn't afford to build another boring 19th century marble edifice...]  The lovely classic building on the right was built in 1922, but the Beehive was modernist, designed by a Brit, and built between 1969 and 1980.  They say you either love it or hate it and you can guess where I sit...

Our second day in Wellington was Waitangi Day, New Zealand's national holiday.  It commemorates the signing of the Waitangi Treaty in 1840, between Britain and the Maori.  In a square downtown they had a stage set up with bands playing, lots of food trucks, and tons of people.  A nice, festive atmosphere.

[Note from Chad: we were surprised to see that New Zealand, at least in theory, might have "Nainoma Bars" (i.e. Nanaimo Bars).  But it's becoming apparent that Maori-izing dessert names is not altogether uncommon.]

Pain au chocolat, anyone?

Te Papa is New Zealand's national museum, and it is an impressive site right on the waterfront.  It's free, except for special exhibitions, and you could probably spend a whole day there if you wanted to see everything.  (Unfortunately, photos of most exhibits are prohibited.)  Outside are some gardens showcasing NZ's flora and geology.

A giant copy of the Waitangi treaty hangs on the wall of the museum.  It was improperly stored for many years, so looks to be in rough shape.

Te Papa is mounted on well over 100 of these shock absorbers made of rubber laminated with steel plates and a vibration-damping lead core. The lead-core version is Kiwi designed, and provides good earthquake protection.

For lunch one day we had to stop at this charecuterie so that Chad could test their wares.

Mmm, pork, saukraut and apple sauce.  Plus great coffee.  Chad-approved.

Another Wellington highlight was a trip up the cable car to the Botanic Gardens, with a wander back down to the city.  Normally we McFrothys would be walking up that hill, but I convinced Chad that the cable car was a can't-miss attraction :).

The view from the top.

The Botanic Gardens were lovely.

A huge hydrangea garden.

"Black rose tree"

For my Mom - the name of these roses is "Absolutely Fabulous".

Another Wellington to-do is a wander along Oriental Parade.  Our last day we were blessed with gorgeous weather, and went for an after dinner stroll along the waterfront.

We had a great time in Wellington - a very cool city with lots of craft beer around [Note from Chad: more on that later] and lots to do.  An easy place to spend three days!