Tuesday, Mar 12th, Island Bay, New Zealand

Greetings!

Riding the #1 bus to downtown Wellington, we found the stop where we could ride the cable car up to the Cty's Botanical  Garden.  They really have packed quite a lot into the 26 hectare hillside, including a huge rose garden, begonia house, and duck pond.  Despite the great old cable car saving us the walk up,  it was a strenuous morning.  But the layout, signage, and variety of unique presentation areas made it worth it.

Not far from the exit is the Beehive and Parliament House.  We signed up for the 1pm tour, and hung out in the visitor's lounge.  After storing everything that could be thrown at the Parliamentary members (and when you witness their daily question period, you'll see why throwing things really does make sense), we walked through the halls of the New Zealand government.  It seems that the country packs a lot into its proportional-voting, one-house legislative-executive combination, and does it with ample transparency.  Loved the dialogue.

Finally, making our way along the waterfront, we checked into the very famous Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa).  The outside is not even worth photographing, and cameras are prohibited inside.  A good friend of Pat's was the director of the museum until his death a few years ago, so we absolutely needed to spend time here.  The five-story set of galleries is great, but has almost too much to absorb in one afternoon.  We stayed until closing time, and may come back tomorrow if we have time.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Tuesday, Mar 12th, Island Bay, New Zealand.