Wellington - Part 2

Our circuitous route around the North Island ended with a return trip to Wellington. Before embarking on our final tour of the city, we stopped back by Midnight Expresso for some tasty coffee. The lunch display was as remarkable as it was on our first trip through.

After our coffee break, we picked up our Chinese Visas -- no problems at all -- and set off to look at the city in the sunlight. Yes, it didn't rain on us. Well, it mostly didn't rain on us.

We toured Te Papa, the excellent national museum. It was packed with kids; their excitement makes everything seem just a little neater. My favorite exhibit was on immigration to New Zealand. It included video interviews of people who had left their native countries to come to New Zealand to excape war, get married, find their fortune, etc. The exhibit on the marine life was also quite interesting.


Not surprisingly, Te Papa had an excellent exhibit on Maori history. This picture below is of a model of one of the double-hulled canoes used to travel from Tahiti to New Zealand eight hundred years ago.


The skate park next to the museum is one that would incite lust in Scott's heart. It was incredible and filled with people of all ages.