Wellington New Zealand

 

Last night after dinner DH and I went for a walk around the promenade deck to walk off our yummy Italian Dinner while most of the passengers seemed to either walking down to the restaurants for dinner or bustling to get to the theatres in hope of getting a good seat before anyone else!. The seas had been fairly smooth as the ship sailed northwards towards Wellington on the North Island of New Zealand. We felt a fresh, crisp air as we stepped out onto the deck, luckily we had changed into our walking gear with jackets after dinner. The sun was still shining so we could see the South Island coastline on the port side of the ship. We were about  5 kms off shore. (It could be more, but I am unable to work it out correctly).

The ship sailed into Wellington Harbour around 7am in time to finish docking and finalising customs and immigration by 8am. We were one of the first 50 odd passengers off the ship and onto a shuttle bus into town. Cost of return shuttle bus NZD10 each. It is not too far to walk into the CBD from the terminal, only about 2kms, which some passengers did but we knew we would be walking around a considerable distance once in Wellington, so chose to ride the shuttle and get our bearings.

The bus dropped us off at Brandon Street, just near Lambton Quay, right in the middle of the CBD. From the shuttle bus drop off, we walked a short distance to the Cable Car NZD 3.50 one way to Kelburn Lookout and the Botanic Gardens. The cable car has been running for over 110 years, zips 390 feet above the city for a panoramic view out to the water. We explored the gardens and the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens before walking back into the CBD through the Bolton Street Memorial Park, a cemetery as old as the settlement of Wellington. The stories told by the headstones reflect the growing pains of the colony, poor sanitation, lack of welfare, fire, as well as the growing prosperity of a capital city and a thriving port.

By the time we reached Lambton Quay again, we decided to rest our weary muscles with a coffee stop before a walk along the boardwalk to Te Papa Museum, New Zealand's National museum. We walked around the various floors of displays which encompassed Art, Awesome Forces (an area showcasing the effects of earthquakes in N Z), Maori Cultural exhibits of dwellings, boats and culture and a National Art Collection of European and Maori historical and contemporary pieces. A must visit for anyone intending to visit Wellington.

We went back along the boardwalk to the shuttle bus which returned us to the ship. Tonight  we will have a candle lit dinner of French Cuisine and maybe a show in the Princess Theatre before we finish for the day.