New Year, New Adventure: Part 8 of 13

Our first stop on New Zealand’s North Island was in the capital city of Wellington. The city is known for being windy, but for our visit it exhibited maritime dampness. The Maori arrived in the area in the 10th century, and the English followed in the mid 19th. There are currently about half a million folks living on the hillsides and in the valleys that dominate the local geography.

Once our ship was safely secured to the pier, the floating gas station, or lighter, came along side to top up the tanks.

On shore, we got to see some of the city’s principal landmarks. This building is known as the Beehive. It is the executive wing office building of New Zealand’s government. Queen Elizabeth II declared it opened in 1977. No mistaking the disco era architecture.

At the other end of the government complex is the Parliamentary Library. Opened in 1899, it is the oldest of the current government buildings.

Inland from the port, entering the Zealandia eco-preserve was like taking a walking tour of the Jurassic Park movie set. The facility is intended to rebuild the pre-human conditions on the island on a 500 year time-line.

For our visit, the rain came down non-stop, dripping and plopping from the canopy above the path. The damp conditions didn’t dissuade the birds and other wildlife.

The unique Tuatara reptiles hung out in their holes and under the big fern leaves, watching the humans watch them.

Near the Zealandia facility, the Otari-Wilton’s Bush botanic garden is dedicated to preservation of native New Zealand species.

We were formally introduced the Silver Fern, the symbol of New Zealand.

Our final stop was the Anglican Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul, the mother church of the Wellington Diocese. The building was commissioned in 1954 and dedicated in 1984. The final phase of construction was completed and consecrated in 2001.

The audience filing into the cathedral from the main entryway for The Wellington Symphony Orchestra and The Somoa Choir concert.

The music was spledid, and the choir performance remarkable. According to the scuttlebutt going around, this was the biggest audience the choir had entertained since it was founded.

The visit to Wellington ended with a gloomy, rainy night time departure from the harbor. Not to worry, the weather for the next stop was forecast to be more of the same.