For the first time on this trip, I didn’t have to travel anywhere - this allowed me to fully immerse myself in the Capital of New Zealand! I managed to sleep until 0530 but was still awake before anyone else at the hostel. After showering in a little room down the hall, I got dressed and decided to go look for breakfast. It was just barely light out when I departed The Marion (0645). Fortunately, it wasn’t raining so I was able to walk around for a while and get my bearings in Wellington. At first, I walked north and east, toward the waterfront. Almost nothing except McDonalds was open yet so I decided to hold out for something better. After reaching the marina, I walked west along the water until I found the Te Papa Tongarewa museum. Upon learning that it (and most other attractions) didn’t open until 1000, I decided to keep exploring. Walking only a little bit south from there, I found the Cuba Quarter and spent some time window shopping. I actually located an Icebreaker (New Zealand company that makes many of my hiking socks) outdoor clothing store but, like everything else, it was closed. Continuing west, I wandered through some “colorful zones” until I reached Lambton Quay. This area was more upscale than most of what I’d already seen; I learned later it was because it housed many white collar businesses. By this point, I'd "early-birded" my way into a full hour of exploring - overall, I enjoyed seeing the views along the harbor, checking out artwork on random street corners, window shopping and wandering through among all the business executives who were dashing to and fro. One thing I had avoided, though, was rain - sadly, it began to pour at around 0715... I was quite hungry at that point and decided to get try to find a "proper" restaurant that served breakfast. After striking out a few times, I located "Two Grey", which was the hotel restaurant for the InterContinental. Sitting down at 0745, I feasted on fried eggs on toast, lamb merguez sausage, OJ with ice. I enjoyed the food very much and took some time to look through my city guide for things to do on a rainy day. Afterwards (0820), I got some help from the hotel concierge in locating the Cable Car attraction that takes visitors up to a ridge where the Wellington Botanic Garden is located. Fortunately, it was only a short walk away because it was still raining. I found the ticket booth and bought a "Return" (round-trip) pass at 0830 and, a few minutes later, was on my way to the top. The stops along the way had names that honored the Duke of Wellington’s battlefield successes (I know this because I have read all of the Richard Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell). At the top, I got out to find strong winds and much more rain. Unfortunately, none of the attractions (Planetarium, Cable Car Museum, Zealandia) were open yet so I settled for a rainy walk through part of the Botanic Garden. It was very hilly and I could see how a walk to the top and a ride back down on the Cable Car would be great exercise. The views of Wellington were good where I could get them (not often). After about 30 minutes (0915), I decided to go back down again. On the way to the base of the ride, I talked to the cable car operator and she showed me how she ran the controls. At 0915, I started to make my way back to the waterfront. Mostly, I retraced my steps from the morning - one big difference was that I was able to walk through some fancy shopping buildings (e.g., the Old Bank) and stay dry under good overhangs above the sidewalk. On the way, I stopped in at a fun store (“T2”) which sold lots of teas and tea pots/cups (I knew my daughters would love the place). I wanted to visit the “Icebreaker” store (they make my Merino wool hiking socks) but they still weren’t open. My ultimate goal was to reach the Te Papa Tongarewa museum; at 0955, I reached the building and was able to go inside. For the next few hours, I explored all the exhibits which included New Zealand history, biology (flora & fauna) and geology (tectonics, earthquakes, volcanos and tsunamis). There was also a huge exhibit on Māori culture, art and boat building. One interesting thing I learned was that the native peoples described the shape of "Aotearoa" (New Zealand) as being "Maui's Fish" (North Island) and "Maui's Canoe" (South Island). The most amazing highlight, though, was an amazing exhibit on the ANZAC experience in World War I. Each section of the extremely vivid, personal and graphic presentation was anchored by a 10-times-life-size human statue. The terror, courage, pain and humanity of several historical people was brought home in living color. I read many biographies and immersed myself in everything I could - the exhibit had the power of a 9/11 or Pearl Harbor memorial (I felt rather emotional by the time I was finished). Actually, it was hard to leave the museum but I felt like I needed a rest after all the walking I'd already done. Leaving the museum during the worst rain of the day (1200), I walked back to The Marion. Along the way, I saw a guy in a full Darth Vader costume (later, I realized it was "Star Wars Day"). As I tried to time street crossings and avoid person-on-person collisions, I came to the conclusion that Wellington residents might be the fastest walkers I’ve seen in any city I’ve visited. In my room again, I took a nice break from being on my feet - I also got some more hot chocolate and worked on my blog. Cecelia, a distant relative on my Coogan side, contacted me just before 1300 to say that she could pick me up in about 30 minutes. I spent my time waiting for her in conversation with the young man at the Hostel’s reception desk. He was from Provence and had a three month trip to Canada coming up soon. After Cecilia arrived and we made sure of each others' identities, she drove me to a suburb of Wellington called Miramar (east of the CBD). Once there, we ate lunch in a cafeteria attached to the Palmers Garden Center and talked a lot about our families. We tried to piece together some genealogical holes. Despite having never met, we had a great conversation! She told me she had some Māori ancestry and it was interesting to learn about the culture from a more personal perspective. Cecilia also mentioned that there was a place nearby called the WETA Workshop that allowed visitors to view and experience Sir Peter Jackson’s movie magic - that sounded interesting! After we finished eating, Cecelia drove me back to the CBD via a route that gave me views of departing aircraft and passed through the Mount Victoria Tunnel. We also got a glimpse of the Pukeahu National War Memorial and a large Cricket Pitch. Our nice visit concluded as she dropped me off at The Marion (1545). I spent the next hour relaxing at The Marion until I started thinking about dinner (1645). Instead of making food in the Hostel, I decided to go searching for other options. Walking a few blocks in the rain, I tried to do some shopping at the local Supermarket (“New World”). The food was the same as at home but seemed unfamiliar because of the packaging... Still, I bought some good items by the end. On the way back towards the now familiar “main drag” (Taranaki Street), I noticed a place that had a Thursday Night Parmi Special AND a Happy Hour. Both perks inspired me to stop for a bite at The Grand Steakhouse (1715). My delicious dinner was chicken with parm and marinara sauce on a bed of French fries with a side salad. They also had local wines for $8 NZD (about $5 USD) and I ended up having two glasses of Mount Ridge Merlot (Marlborough). The vibe of the place was good - there were lots of boisterous diners enjoying their meals and drinks - so I stayed for dessert (Chocolate Mud-cake). I was on my way back to The Marion by 1845 and arrived just before they closed the doors for the evening. Quite tired from my busy day, I spent the rest of the night reading and relaxing in my room. Finally went to bed at 2200. All this eating, drinking and merry-making seemed like a good reward for a full day of walking, culture and family - after all of it, I’m a big fan of “Welly”!
