Wellington (Ned's middle name) is known as Windy Wellington. Apparently, the locals do not own umbrellas as such an apparatus would either reverse open in the winds or pull a "Mary Poppins"! We now have evidence to support the moniker of the capital of New Zealand.
After brekky, we walked to the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. There, we discovered an artist whose work we really like - especially her use of colors. Her name is Sue Lund. After lunch and much deliberation, we ended up purchasing a painting of hers as our wedding anniversary gift to ourselves/each other. It captures one of the major themes of this trip (If you have followed the blog, I need not tell you.).
Rob Sullivan and Marc Pettie (Gallery Manager), as well as Annette (volunteer) were all lovely.
We now have wonderful stories associated with the purchase.
From there, we skipped across the way to the Wellington Museum.
Note: Free entry (as is the case with all museums in Wellington!).
We started on the 3rd floor where we watched a brilliantly produced time travel film - starting with volcanic burble > the now extinct Moa Birds > arrival of the Maori peoples > arrival of the Europeans >... > future. It featured surround sound and surround vision, very impressive! We enjoyed Grandma's Attic before going to the Maori exhibit where we saw a fabulous projected theatrical presentation of three Maori myths. We visited the Maritime exhibits, learned about the 1968 Wahine disaster, and appreciated anew that last night's sailing was smooth. The ground floor featured modern history, including a delightful and nostalgic piece on It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
We walked the waterside and downtown, agreeing that Wellington is a cross between San Diego and Seattle (with wind).
Lunch spot was recommended by our server in Wanaka (emphasis on first syllable, rhymes with Santa Monica). It is PreFab and is located at 14 Jessie Street. When we arrived at 12:50, it was a- bustle with lots of local folks representing all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, etc. The staff also is a wonderful representation of all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, etc. We considered it FABULOUS in every regard.
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| PreFab - Outside |
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| PreFab - Inside |
Ned had the pastrami and sauerkraut toastie - the best sauerkraut we have ever tasted. I had the Acme salad.
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| We skipped the DreamWords special exhibit b/c of time. |
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| Note the architecture! |
We started with the Mountains and Sea Exhibit, which included the Giant Squid that was caught in Antarctica by a New Zealand fishing boat.
From there we went outside (in the wind) to the Bush City - walking across a swing bridge, exploring a limestone cave with stalactites, learning that swamps are "nature's kidneys," as well as all about earthquakes and... wind!
We visited exhibits featuring the arts and history of the Maori peoples. We heard immigrant
stories.
We also attended a delightful multimedia presentation/simulation called "Golden Days." The premise is of a junk store that comes to life after closing, telling the history of New Zealand via the relics in the shop. As the film footage is projected onto the screen different items in the shop are lit or animated.
From the top floor, one can get literally get an overview of the human cultures that have influenced this country.
We figure our museum and gallery hopping would easily have cost a lot of USD back home.
Wonderful museums on your journeys.
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