After our good night's rest on Sunday, we were eager to head into Wellington to do a little exploring. Our hosts left plenty of brochures and information so that we could investigate the many opportunities. We decided to leave the car in the garage and use public transportation which is very good here. With bus schedule in hand we walked about a block to the bus stop on the bay. The ride into town was pleasant and took about 1/2 hr. to the center of Wellington. Our all-day Senior tickets cost $5 NZ each and worth it to not have to drive.
Our first day in town we did a lot of walking just to get the lay of the land. We ended up in a pedestrian area called the Cuba mall. It is an older part of downtown with lots of little shops and cafes. The architecture was a mish-mash and not very attractive. We had Fish & Chips for lunch - a very common staple here and it was very tasty. We then walked a little more and found ourselves in a more modern area of trendy shops and restaurants. Eventually we found the right bus to head back to Lower Hutt and spent the evening relaxing at "home".
Tuesday we arose bright and early again - not quite adjusted to the new time zone. Again we headed for town on the bus and now feel like we know our way around.
In the late 1800's, Wellington built a cable car system to go from downtown up the steep hills to another part of town. It still exists - with modernizations and modifications over the years. Now at the top of the cable car route is a little museum about the history of the cable cars and a 35 acre botanical garden. We rode the tram up and walked through the museum and then the extensive gardens which are quite magnificent. We especially enjoyed the enormous rose garden and greenhouses filled with unbelievable tuberous begonias and another room of tropical plants. I have uploaded a lot of pictures to Picasa Web Albums and you can look at them there if you wish. The website is: http://picasaweb.google.com/equussanmiguel Check back regularly as I add pictures along the way.
We walked down from the gardens and found a Thai restaurant that looked good for lunch. It was very good - we had to eat with chopsticks which neither of us had done for a while. We managed but it was a bit awkward. John had a scallops entree and I had pork and mushrooms in won ton wrappers with a delicious sauce and coconut rice.
After lunch we headed for the wharf and found the Wellington history and maritime museum. We spent several hours there - it was very interesting - learned a lot about the history of Wellington and the Maouri people.
It was alomost 5:00 when we left the museum and we were getting a little weary so found a bus and headed for home with a stop for a few groceries on the way.
Our first day in town we did a lot of walking just to get the lay of the land. We ended up in a pedestrian area called the Cuba mall. It is an older part of downtown with lots of little shops and cafes. The architecture was a mish-mash and not very attractive. We had Fish & Chips for lunch - a very common staple here and it was very tasty. We then walked a little more and found ourselves in a more modern area of trendy shops and restaurants. Eventually we found the right bus to head back to Lower Hutt and spent the evening relaxing at "home".
Tuesday we arose bright and early again - not quite adjusted to the new time zone. Again we headed for town on the bus and now feel like we know our way around.
In the late 1800's, Wellington built a cable car system to go from downtown up the steep hills to another part of town. It still exists - with modernizations and modifications over the years. Now at the top of the cable car route is a little museum about the history of the cable cars and a 35 acre botanical garden. We rode the tram up and walked through the museum and then the extensive gardens which are quite magnificent. We especially enjoyed the enormous rose garden and greenhouses filled with unbelievable tuberous begonias and another room of tropical plants. I have uploaded a lot of pictures to Picasa Web Albums and you can look at them there if you wish. The website is: http://picasaweb.google.com/equussanmiguel Check back regularly as I add pictures along the way.We walked down from the gardens and found a Thai restaurant that looked good for lunch. It was very good - we had to eat with chopsticks which neither of us had done for a while. We managed but it was a bit awkward. John had a scallops entree and I had pork and mushrooms in won ton wrappers with a delicious sauce and coconut rice.
After lunch we headed for the wharf and found the Wellington history and maritime museum. We spent several hours there - it was very interesting - learned a lot about the history of Wellington and the Maouri people.
It was alomost 5:00 when we left the museum and we were getting a little weary so found a bus and headed for home with a stop for a few groceries on the way.
