Monday, February 20th to Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 - Windy Wellington

 My plan to meet up with my other sister, Toni Hood, in Wellington went smoothly, other than her delayed arrival, which upset a plan to go to a Billy Bragg concert Sunday night.

Entrance to Te Papa Museum

Our first outing was to visit the Te Papa Museum, Maori words that mean 'treasure box'. That's Toni there on the lower left with her hair in a bun and wearing a black back pack. We didn't manage to do a selfie in the first few days, so you'll have to wait for a decent photo of her/us.

Hobbit-Like Window, First Floor, Te Papa

As you know, my arrival plans had been disrupted by the disastrous floods in Auckland three weeks before now, requiring us to change our plans to go to the Coromandel Peninsula. Then last week, the North Island had been torn up by Cyclone Gabrielle, causing us to change our plan to go to Napier. As if that wasn't enough, there had been an earthquake in Wellington a few days before I arrived! Even though it had caused no damage, I have to admit I was just a little nervous about being here. So when Toni mentioned that there was a display to show how buildings are protected from earthquakes, I was 'in', so to speak!

Base Isolator in the 'Quake Breaker' Exhibit

I know it doesn't look like much, but you'd really want this under your house if you lived in New Zealand. It is a base isolator made of cylinders of lead embedded in rubber. They were invented in New Zealand and there are 152 of these isolators placed under Te Papa, to separate the building from the ground. When there is an earthquake, the plates are able to move in a way that absorbs much of the shock and reduces the movement of the large structure. They are made of lead, because the metal is ductile and can deform without snapping. They are used mostly in large commercial and public structures and perhaps high rise building, but are not generally used in regular houses. Still it was good to know that such things exist, even though they don't photograph very well!

Phar Lap's Skeleton

An icon of Australian horse racing was a horse called Phar Lap, who lived from 1926 to 1932, so Toni had him high on our list of displays to visit in the museum. Phar Lap was born and raised in New Zealand (hence they claimed his skeleton for their museum) but was trained in Australia. His first notoriety on the larger stage of horse racing was his win in the Melbourne Cup in 1930, after having been entered as an underdog. In those 'Depression' years his overcoming of odds became a symbol of hope that was inspiration to many. After winning 'the cup', he had a stellar career, winning 36 of the 41 races he entered, including races in Mexico and the United States. He suddenly died in Atherton California, in 1932, after a brief illness. He was found to have arsenic in his hair and there has been much speculation about whether he had been poisoned. Arsenic was an ingredient in tonics that were given to horses at that time, so no one is certain. Poor Phar Lap now has his heart in the Australian Institute of Anatomy in Canberra, his hide in the Museum of Victoria in Melbourne and his skeleton is here in New Zealand! He was found to have an enormous heart - at almost 14 lbs, it was almost twice as big as the average size of most horses hearts!

Entry Posts to Rongomaraeroa Marae (Meeting Room)

I would like to tell you more about these vibrant and powerful totems that I found in the Maori exhibit, but I was so busy trying to photograph them adequately, that I never found out what they were! I loved the towering height, colors, spiky hair and outstretched arms! I wasn't sure whether I should feel welcomed or afraid!

Puhi Ariki (Sacred Eyes) on War Canoe

I absolutely fell in love with the feather 'haloes' attached to the front of the war canoes in the Maori exhibit. The sign said they are called Puhi Ariki, which means sacred eyes, but I could find little interpretation about their function on Google. I thought them quite unexpected and ethereal.

Puhi Ariki Frames the 'King'?

There were photos of the war canoes being used in ceremonies and looking at them, the only thing that made sense was that the feather rings might have served to highlight the most important person on the boat when he stood up. In the 'Land of the Long White Cloud', using white feathers to outline important things would 'fit'. If it were really a 'war', rather than a ceremony, maybe the feathers wouldn't be such a good idea to target the leader!

1/3 Model of Te Aurere, Double Hulled Voyaging Canoe

As it was boats that brought the Maoris here from East Polynesia in the 1300's, they are clearly pretty important. The 1/3 model of the voyaging canoes shows them to be much larger than the smaller war canoes, especially with the two hulls joined together, much like a catamaran. It is believed that the Polynesians travelled in groups of this type of boat, although I imagine the journeys were quite perilous. One account suggested it may have taken less than a week - maybe three to four days, so perhaps it wasn't quite so bad. 

Kupe, his Wife, Hine Te Aparangi and the Warrior Pekahourangi

The first Polynesian to arrive was a man called Kupe Raiatea, who chased a giant octopus with a large canoe somewhere near 1200. It was his wife, Hine Te Aparangi who declared 'A cloud, a cloud. A long white cloud'. The structure of the cloud suggested the presence of land and so they headed toward it and landed in New Zealand. It is also said that he found the New Zealand jade, pounamu. Clearly it took a while for news of the discovery to spread around Polynesia as it is thought that the migrations didn't happen until later, most likely mid 1300's. There is controversial evidence that there may have been other people who lived here before the Maoris, but no theories are well accepted among academics. 

Gallipoli Exhibit, Te Papa Museum

A history that is shared by Australians and New Zealanders is the terrible events that occurred on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during the first World War. Both nations were new at that time, but their loyalty to the 'Motherland' of England had them  both packing their young men off to support the distant cause. It was a military disaster in terms of strategy, but one in which Australian and New Zealand troops (the ANZACS) performed with bravery and determination against overwhelming odds. Many Australians who come to New Zealand visit this exhibit to learn more and honor the courage of their ancestors.

 Giant Statues - Cecil Malthus, a 26 year-old Teacher

Upon entry, one is confronted by these huge, almost real statues that had been created by the skilled hands of the Weta Workshop, a special effects and prop company in Wellington which had been involved in the making of the Lord of the Rings. The statues are 2.4 times larger than the normal human and I immediately found myself overwhelmed with the urge to just get out of there. The Weta Workshop website describes the displays as a 'profoundly moving immersive experience' and they were right. I found it much too real! I followed those 'Exit' signs keenly!

Lottie Le Gallais with her Returned Letters

I walked (but wanted to run), watched a 3-D movie about when they all stopped fighting to bury the dead, because the Turks found the stench overwhelming, then got back to it immediately after! I found enormous gratitude seeing this statue of a nurse, Lottie Le Galais, near the end. It was the first sign of human compassion I had felt in my rush. I was able to pause long enough to understand that they had selected moments in the lives of eight New Zealanders to narrate the story of the war. Lottie was one of 10 nurses, the first to arrive in Gallipoli on the hospital ship, in hope of finding her brother who was fighting there. Before long, all her letters were returned to her, stating that her brother had been killed four months prior. She had another brother fighting in France. He was injured, but survived. She returned home and died in 1956.

Haupapa, 2017 by Sopolemalama Felipe Tohi

I had enjoyed my time in the museum, but I'm not very good at reading all those labels that carry important information, so I probably did not do it justice. After that I was ready to 'hit the streets'!

Cuba Street

One of the first stops was Cuba street, a pedestrian mall in some places.

The Flying Nun Record Shop on Cuba Street

 As a rock & roll fan, Toni was keen on visiting the Flying Nun Record store further up Cuba Street. It was noteworthy as the place where former the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern had bought a gift of a vinyl record which she gave to the recently elected Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese when he visited New Zealand in June 2022.

The Flying Nun Record Store

It was a cool store.....unlike anything I've ever seen before. Clearly it has a strong following to still be going in this digital world.

The Vic

Opposite the Flying Nun was a lovely art deco building called 'The Vic'. While I was photographing it, a man stopped to identify himself as a local historian and told me about the history of the Old Vic. He said it was a good example of the size of the plots of land that were originally sold in Wellington through the Wakefield system. Instead of gifting land to people as many other colonies did, Wakefield wanted to increase the socio economic status right from the start and in 1840 divided the city into equal size lots, to be sold all at the same price. The man said that the space between the three vertical panels was width of the street frontage, while the plots went back a long way, allowing for long, narrow building with enough room in the back for a garden. 

Another Wakefield Plot?

As I walked around, I began to see that in many cases there was a uniformity in the sizes of the frontages, that could have been rooted in the original Wakefield plan. One thing I liked about Wellington was that it did have an element of grunge to it - it didn't feel like a slick, plastic modern city, yet it still felt very safe.

Modernity Shows up in Funky Ways

Where modernity showed up, it had a funky element to it. Of course there were high rises in parts, but they didn't dominate the city.

One Doesn't Have to be Pretty, it Seems

I was amused by this storefront, claiming to be the 'best' ugly bagels. See what I mean by the grunge, but done in an artsy, funky way - not just due to neglect and carelessness.

David Bowie Mural, Ghuznee Street

I love street art and it was hard to miss this one painted by Xoe Hall which advertises a hair salon.

Fortune Favors Building, Leeds Street

While the interplay of the vine and the image is attractive in one way, this mural on Leeds Street is a mural of a girl immersed in water with her knees and right hand out - but the image is made up of 62 cats! Here's a link to the image without the vines. 

https://stephengibbsdms.wordpress.com/tag/public-art/page/4/

Rousseau-like Mural, Cable Street, by Heimler & Proc

I also liked this Rousseau-like mural with the blue waka (canoe) that we found on the way to the supermarket on Cable Street.

Colorful Cranes on the Jervois Quay

There is a wonderful walk along the waterfront around Lambton Harbor. It was a beautiful and calm afternoon. Toni was quite taken with the weather, as she had expected Wellington to be windy - it is recorded as the windiest city in the world with an average of 178 days a year with wind gusts over 40 mph - that's tropical storm force gusts almost every other day!

Gray Street

No doubt, the strong winds would be a challenge to installations like these sails, but they were very attractive on this day; they added a wonderful marine look to the quay.  You can see here the more modern end of the city with the high rise buildings in the background.

Kayaks for Rent

The winds would also be likely to make kayaking treacherous! I wonder if the vendors charge twice as much on the days that are not windy! LOL! I just added this photo 'cos I liked their colors.

Cook Strait Ferry

Cook Strait is the name of the water separating the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It is 14 miles wide at it's narrowest point and is considered one of the most unpredictable and dangerous waterways in the world. This is due not only to the intense winds common to the area, but also due to tidal anomalies that sound quite complicated. The ferry connecting Picton, in the South Island, to Wellington, is 59 miles and usually takes about three and a half hours, but the ferry will be cancelled if weather conditions are too rough - such as 15 foot swells.

Looking out Over Wellington Harbor From Te Papa

The walk along the Commonwealth Walkway on this sunny afternoon was delightful.

The Beehive - Prime Ministerial and Cabinet Offices

Wellington is the capital of New Xealand, so another of our goals was to see several noteworthy government buildings, one of which was the Beehive. It was completed in 1981, consists of executive government offices including the prime minister's and cabinet offices. New Zealanders hope that it is a 'beehive' of productive and useful work that serves the nation! LOL!

New Zealand's Old High Court

We were in search of a building that is supposed to be the largest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere and thought we might have found it in this building. Although it was marked Supreme Court and built in 1879, this old building is now the Old High Court and has been superseded by a new more modern building. It was built on reclaimed land and when it opened in 1881, there were no indoor toilets. Judges and criminals alike had to use long drop toilets that were situated at the back of the building!  When I rapped my knuckles on the façade to see if it was wood, it felt very much like stone! So our search was not over yet.

The 'Stone Palace'

We saw a few more buildings similar to the Old High Court, but then found this one that looked quite similar. I tried the knuckle rapping. Yes! It worked, it was definitely wood.

Kauri Wood Made to Look Like Italian Stone

They now call it the Old Government Building and it is now part of the Victoria University of Wellington's Law School. It was made to look like Italian stone to convey strength and stability of the newly developing nation. The cost of bringing real stone that far around the world in sailing ships must have been exorbitant, so instead they used kauri wood which was plentiful at the time (Kauri wood is now in short supply and can no longer be logged, so maintenance has to be done with recycled timbers.) Wikipedia also mentioned that had the building been made of stone, it probably would not have survived the many earthquakes they experience here, as it is close to a fault line. 

The building was opened in 1876 and has 143 rooms, 64 toilets 126 fireplaces and 22 chimneys. It used to be the largest wooden structure in the world, but it was superseded in 1998 by a Japanese Buddhist temple, so now the New Zealanders limit their claim to be the biggest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Hanging Staircase

The beauty of the kauri wood can be seen inside the building in the timbers of this hanging staircase.

No Supports!

It's called a hanging staircase because it has nothing supporting it from the lower floor. Other than the lowest step that touches the floor, the entirety of the rest of the staircase hangs from the upper floor. I thought it a rather beautiful structure.

Brooklyn Shops

Toni and I had enjoyed our wanderings, but our time in Wellington was coming to an end. When we arrived back to our car on Tuesday, we found a parking ticket. Although I'd been faithfully feeding the meter, my mistake was that we couldn't stay longer than two hours in the same spot! Oh well! City life!

We spent the night in a place up in the hills, overlooking the city and bay below. The suburb was Brooklyn, the wind was picking up and Toni and I must have had busy brains worrying about earthquakes and cyclones, as neither of us slept well perched on the side of a steep hill in a wooden, creaky AirBnB!

No worries - the next day we were to head north.