This, ladies and gentleman, this is the beehive, also known as the Executive Government Building of New Zealand. What can I say? It’s ugly.
We had a typical capital tour. The kids were not that into it, but learning the process by which the two older buildings, the Parliament Building and the Parliament Library were restored to be earthquake proof was rather impressive. Kiwi ingenuity at it’s best.
That night we decided to venture into the “Creative Quarter” for dinner. It was a bit of a walk, but it was so nice to be in a city where one does not need a car. This is one of the things I miss the most about Sydney. Auckland has it’s funky quarters but they are all disjointed.
On a friend’s recommendation we headed over to The Red Dog, but at the last minute we decided to eat across the street at Monsoon Poon. We ordered the Cobra and the Tiger off the children’s menu. I dare say this is the best kids’ meals my kids have ever had.
The next day we headed over to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, called Te Papa for short. According to the gentleman at the coat check counter, Te Papa means both ‘earth’ and ‘our place’ in Maori. It is aptly named. The museum is beautiful and welcoming. Although there 4 distinct areas set aside just for children’s inquiry, there were interactive displays located throughout the museum.
Lana wasn’t the only one to be fascinated with the geological displays. (L:R: Lana trying to lift a volcanic rock, locating New Zealand on a “plate” globe and the kids engaging with an interactive map of New Zealand) but our timing for this visit could not be more perfect with her class presently studying volcanoes.
This picture makes me laugh because I had to show my son how to dial such a phone. The kids really got a kick out of this ‘old time’ machine.
We spent 2.5 hours there and I think we moved at a pace that was comfortable for Nuno. A good indication of how much we liked the museum was when we drove by on our way out of town and Lana asked if we could go back.
On our way to the Wellington cable car (which brought us to the Botanic Gardens) we had a wander around the waterfront. It was a cloudy day, but the rains held off. When Nuno spotted the bungy ride we decided to go for it. Only seems right to try it in New Zealand.
In order to get a higher lift my raison d’être (sorry mate, sounds worse than ‘my darling husband’) would pull Nuno down and then release him. The resulting lift was stunning.
The kid had a blast, no pun intended.
Our plan was to do a lengthy hike the nest morning, but the skies had opened up and it was just pouring with rain. No one put their hand up when we asked who wanted to go for a walk. We decided to say farewell to Wellington, but we’d take the scenic route out of town.
Owhirio Bay. Reminds me so much of Oregon.
Kapiti Island