November 30, 2023 “You Can’t Beat Wellington…On a Good Day” (Day64)
And today was a Good Day!!! Sunny, relatively calm wind, warm, beautiful! We drove another curvy oneish lane road to a suburb and figured out the bus system to get into Wellington town centre. We exited the bus at Cuba Street, the epicentre of laidback, hippy gentrification. Tons of upscale thrift stores, coffee bars, dive bars, old architecture (some restored, some not), and the best little fish & chips spot! We walked up, had lunch, and walked back on Cuba Street, then headed to the i-site near the waterfront. We passed the museums (we’ll check those out on a rainy day) and enjoyed people watching along the waterfront.
This restored building copies the colors of the blue sky and white clouds…on a good day!
This statue fronts the Marae of the local iwi (tribe) of Maori. It faces out to Wellington Harbour.
We spotted a ray in the bay! No one else seemed to notice it, or maybe it’s a common occurrence?
An old wooden ship, and a mural of someone of importance?
Wellington is the capitol of New Zealand and has claim to the cultural hub of NZ as well. There are numerous museums, government buildings and shopping districts. Eclectic art is scattered around the city.
This sculpture stands atop the old Central Library, now a museum.
Wellington is built on and around hills similar to San Francisco. We got a very San Francisco vibe here, especially when we boarded the Wellington Cable Car that takes you up the hill to fantastic views.
A model of the cable car in the Cable Car Museum at the top.
Our panoramic view at the top!
We walked back down to the city centre through the Botanic garden. We hopped the bus and found some refreshing beverages (Wellington is also the hub of the NZ craft beer scene!) before we bussed it back to the car and home.
As to the saying “You can’t beat Wellington…on a good day”, it’s due to the weather in the town being mostly windy, cool and cloudy. So on a beautiful day like today Wellingtonians really appreciate it and go outside to enjoy it! It’s also become somewhat of an anthem, check out the YouTube video HERE!
December 8th, 2023 at 4:18 pm
Love the slogan and the video! Wow – Who knew there was so much eclectic art scattered not just around Wellington, but also around the whole country. Loved the Fairy Trail with the tree cottages – reminded me of dollhouses we played with as kids. And I love that there is so much Maori pride visible all over. I think much of the eclectic art come from mixing native art ideas with western culture.
Cheers!
December 9th, 2023 at 6:45 pm
Yes, Wellington has been a great surprise! Everyone has been so friendly, even store clerks will spend several minutes talking with you and they do seem very connected to Maori. Unfortunately they just elected a more right leaning government that seems bent on rolling back some ‘reparations’ that the Maori have won over the years. I think the ‘Rupert Murdoch/Fox machine’ has been busy here, making people think that extending rights to everyone somehow lessens your own. Politics-ugh!