Gail and John'sTravels: Wellington

Wellington, the home of Peter Jackson, his movie studios and the Lord of the Rings franchise, is also the capital of New Zealand. Wellington, a city of some 350,000 inhabitants, is situated in a very hilly region surrounding a sheltered bay. An earthquake in 1855 raised the land level of the bay allowing reclamation of flat land and allowing the town to grow. Many of the homes are perched on the side of hills, not unlike the homes of North Vancouver.

We took a guided tour of the city by motor coach. Since this was New Year ’s Day, most of the stores were closed. However, the museums and botanical gardens were open. The bus took us to the top of Mt. Victoria where, after climbing 77 steep steps, we had the opportunity to view the city from above. We had a wonderful view, but also got blasted by the high winds off the ocean. We then visited the Wellington Botanical Gardens and their vast collection of amazing flowers. The tour continued on to a brief visit to old St. Paul’s Cathedral, a large wooden church built in 1863 that has withstood several earthquakes. Next was a stop at the Parliament buildings, referred to by locals as the “beehive”, and finally, we got to spend an hour at the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa ... named after John) which is a museum of art, history, Maori culture and the natural environment. This museum has an excellent Maori and Pacific Islands collection of exhibits as well as a large collection of interactive natural history materials for the younger generation. After 4 hours, we were returned to our ship to rest, relax and eat once again.