Cruise Ship Destination: Wellington New Zealand

Day 9, WELLINGTON, the windy city, wasn't so windy the day we visited. In fact it was a beautiful sunny day. We caught the free shuttle into the i-site (free wifi). We had planned on a 3 hr tour of the city @$55NZ, but it was all booked out. We do not like to pre-book tours as one never knows what will happen on a ship. Many guests that had pre-booked their own tours in Bay of Islands missed out because of the terrible tender service, we always wait until the day to book any tours. 

Anyway, we booked a 2.5hr tour which ended up being 3.5hrs and was great.

We were told about the history of Wellington and saw first hand the damage done by recent earthquakes. Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand. Maori legend says that in 950AD a Polynesian explorer named Kupe discovered Wellington. He was followed by Tara who named the area Whanganui-a-Tara - te, meaning Great Harbour of Tara. In 1773, Captain Cook first anchored Wellington Harbour, but it wasn't until 1840 that the name of Wellington was chosen in honour of the Duke of Wellington. Today there are a number of pubs and cafes named "the Duke of Wellington".

European settlers first came to the area in the 1840's.

Our first stop was the round Parliament House, and the ten story high 'Beehive' building that houses the Executive Wing of the Parliament. Jon was happy because it had free wifi.

Next we went to Old St Paul's Church. Built about 1865, it was originally a Maori settlement on the waterfront. Inside it is made of beautiful timber Gothic looking arches and is larger than it looks from the outside. The flags include the ensigns of the New Zealand Royal Navy and the United States Marine Corps, who were stationed there in WW2. Today it is owned by the New Zealand Government and listed as a heritage site.

The highlight of the tour was Cable Car ride. The Cable Cars leave every ten minutes, so the wait is not very long. The ride rises 120m high over 612m distance. The tunnels have coloured LED lights installed which add to the 'tourist' journey, but we must remember that the function of the cable car is to transport people up ad down the mountain. Construction began in 1899 and the line was opened in 1902. At the top, the views over the city and the harbour are good, but the highlight for me was the museum at the top. There is a display of an old trolly car and must history on the walls - there is also the obligatory souvenir shop. Our tour guide told us to also go downstairs in the museum and said we would be surprised. Well, downstairs (and there is a lift) is another old cable car and a couple of boxes of  dress ups. Such fun dressing up. Again there is free wifi.

This little white bus was our tour bus.

The Lady Norwood Rose Garden Cafe was our afternoon stop, and what a spectacular rose garden it was. There are 110 rose beds geometrically spaced around a central water fountain. The garden is situated at the bottom of the Botanical Gardens. One can walk down through the gardens from the top cable car stop.

Our last stop before heading back to town was the Mt Victoria lookout. We saw many statues and places named after Queen Victoria while in New Zealand. Mt Victoria is 196m above sea level and one has views over the city, the airport and the harbour entrance.

This tour was well worth the money. Next time we will walk along the waterfront and perhaps go to the museum.