Hailed by many as the "coolest little capital in the world," Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, enjoys a splendid setting. Nestled at the southwestern tip of the North Island, it enjoys views of Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The world's southernmost capital city of an independent nation, Wellington's history is embodied in its rich collection of architecture, from classic weatherboard wooden cottages and the clean lines of art deco to Edwardian and postmodern wonders. The city's neoclassical Parliament House stands out and is listed as a Heritage New Zealand building for its history and cultural significance. The city hosts an array of arts and cultural institutions, including museums, symphonies, ballet and film. The city is also known for its wind.
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| The Wellington Wind Scale |
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| Funicular Up to the Rose garden |
I had a really rough night last night so I spent the morning lounging. Then spent the afternoon in my favorite place knitting. Tonight we had dinner in Manfredi’s with Duncan and Melinda. Dinner was very lovely. We retired early as tomorrow is a work day.
We have changed our coarse from going around the South Island, across the Tasman Sea in order to avoid some nasty weather. Instead, we are crossing between the north and south islands through the Cook Strait into the Tasman Sea two days earlier than expected. We lose stops in Milford and Doubtful Sounds. I’m all for avoiding 20 seas! We have experienced this before and it wasn’t fun!
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| Sail away |
A sore knee does not stop Michael. While I was lounging this morning, he went out t in downtown Wellington. I have been here many times before, so it was nothing new, but it was a beautiful morning and a chance to get out. In the afternoon, I went on a three hour excursion, which included a brief tour of the city but more importantly, two hours at Wellington’s incredible Te Papa museum. This is a world class museum. Some of the exhibits include Australia’s role in World War I (Gallipoli), the history of the Māori people, earthquakes, volcanoes, dinosaurs, some incredible art, all packaged in a beautiful new building. I was truly impressed and I will definitely come back to this museum again.
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| Māori boat |
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| Replica of a Maori community house |
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| 2x life size replica of soldiers during WWI |
