Whoop whoop, off to Wellington for the day,
The primary objective was to visit the French consulate and finish the application for my up and coming European visit. It feels a little silly that I have to travel to Wellington for what is essentially handing in of paperwork and getting fingerprints and photo’s taken, but I don’t make the rules. The last time I visited Wellington was in 2019, and I can still remember how the place reminded me so much about Cape Town. Some of the Kirstenbosch bits mashed up with the V&A Waterfront and the old style architecture mixed in with modern hi-rise buildings in the CDB. It was an early 4am start this morning and will inevitably be a loooong day, but I tried nevertheless to make the most of it.
I started with just walking around the lower CBD, from the docks up, visiting the parliament buildings and war memorial. Had to stay close to where my visa application appointment was later in the morning. The wind was still quiet and it looked like a stunning day ahead.
With the French out of the way, I strolled on through town, checking into little shops, small alleyways and passing numerous restaurants and coffee shops. Somehow this really feels like being in a “city”, something I often miss, living in Christchurch.
I managed to tick off a secondary mission objective for the day as well, purchasing a new (man)bag for my travels later this year. My lightweight one I purchased earlier this year [blogged about it here in FP-7] will not be suitable while travelling around the world. After all of this, it was time to take the “famous” cable car to the top of the botanical gardens to admire the view and grab a late lunch. I quickly remembered why I do enjoy Wellington and perhaps I will be back later in the year, to continue the TA trail on the North Island.
Walked through the gardens and actually stumbled onto a piece of track that forms part of the Te Araroa trail. It was so easy to spot the markers and felt a little “homesick” for lack of a better word. Like so many places in New Zealand, it is beautiful here too.
Walking, on my way back into town I stumbled upon/through the old Bolton Street cemetery. It is significant for so many reasons, dating back to 1840, being the city’s first cemetery and filled with the names of many well known New Zealanders. It was also cut in half by a highway project in the 1970, creating lots of awareness, the documenting of graves because so many had to be moved. It was surprisingly interesting to learn about this little piece of history and if interested, you can go read more about it here: https://boltoncemetery.org.nz.
I ended the afternoon at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. Yes I know it might seem boring, but they have a special exhibition on called Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War. A friend suggested I make time to go see it, it turned out to be very good and “tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances”. Very emotional, I had to step outside halfway through, just to catch my breath before going back in. There are some official information and photo’s here: Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War. The is also a series of YouTube video’s about the creation of the exhibition here: Building Gallipoli. With my day drawing to an end, sitting in the departure lounge at the Wellington airport underneath the Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit movie, 15m eagles never gets old. What a great day.
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43.5323 – 172.5567
17 May 2024
FP-127
4 responses to “Wellington Baby!”
The “Windy City” is always worth a visit although it’s been quite a while since we were there doing much the same. If it wasn’t for the wind and the slightly elevated risk of wobbles (quakes) we would have chosen to live in Welly rather than Christchurch. Little did we realise we would get clobbered by earthquakes in Christchurch several years later.
I am glad you are living in Christchurch, otherwise we might have never met… and you never know what is in store around the corner.
Yay for getting the “French” out of the way..
Love the Bronze sculpture of Nan and His Dog.. Just right in the middle of a, walkway “-)
Die tuine is beauts..
Ek is nog altyd intrigued with old cemeteries..
Daar is n eerie kinda beauty rondom dit..
Toe ek in Angola was, was daar n beautiful ou cemetery..
Kon ongelukkig net deur die hek loer, cause no foreigners/tourists allowed..
Daar is actually pelle van my wat in Wellington bly..
“Nan and his dog” is nogal cute. Ek het my dag in Wellington werklik geniet.