Morning light over Wellington Harbour

We took the Cable car up the hill to get the views over Wellington Harbour after breakfast this morning. Here is Chris silhouetted against the bay.

We had a look at the cable car museum which reminded me of a similar one in San Francisco but there was a fascinating short film of private cable cars in Wellington. Many people who own the wonderful houses in the hills here have had private ones installed so they don't have to move as the steps get too much for them. One younger couple had got one as the steps were too much for their dog!!

We then walked down through the Botanical gardens on a planned route to the sea. It was great to see a Kauri tree and have confirmed that we did actually see Silver ferns in Abel Tasman NP.

The walk ended in Bolton Street memorial park which was essentially a 19th century cemetery which was dissected by the building of a motor way in the '60s removing over 3,000 remains, many from early settlers. It was nice to see a cemetery used this way, people were sitting eating their lunch by the gravestones.

We have spent the afternoon in Te Papa- the museum of New Zealand. Phenomenal exhibits and well worth missing some of today's sunshine. Particularly good were the history of the Maori and the settlement of Europeans, but their were also natural history exhibits of flora and fauna and a close look at the natural elements that effect NZ ie the meeting of the Asian and Pacific tectonic plates. There is even an earthquake 'moving' house.

Maori meeting house (marae) originally carved in Gisborne on the East coast of North Island.

(If you had a problem seeing the view over the harbour there was a Cyberman to help you.)