Tuesday, August 12th 2003 – Day 174
Did little last night. I watched TV with others from the hostel. Many are long time inhabitants as its a university town. I love the TV ads here, very male oriented and very sexist. They even show a show here called extreme makeovers where contestants get cosmetic surgery. Anyway, the hostel is OK. The bathrooms, TV room, lounge and kitchen are great but the rooms are too small. I think I had three snorers in my room last night and one guy who made rasping voices and licked his lips the whole time. I usually would not sleep, but this time I did.
I was up at 8.00am and found it difficult to decide whether I should stay another night and relax or take the bus to Wellington. Either I could relax for a day and spend 3 days in the capital including a good Friday night out on the town or spend four days there. I decided to get the 10.10am bus to Wellington. The journey takes just over 2 hours and the bus ticket was 27 NZUS. It was cold and raining when I got to Wellington. I walked outside and took a local city bus (1 NZUS) to the city centre.
Some see Wellington as a miniature Hong Kong–there’s a beautiful curved harbor surrounded by hillsides dotted with houses and elegant high-rises clustered into a central fist. There is an immediacy and a vibrancy here that you don’t get in other New Zealand cities.
Once seen as a stuffy, bureaucrat-filled political capital, Wellington has reinvented itself to become New Zealand’s entertainment and cultural capital and the fastest-growing weekend destination in the country.
With the opening of the long-awaited Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand, the waterfront is alive again. The Courtenay Place neighborhood has one of the best bar, cafe, and restaurant scenes in the country, and some say there are enough restaurants per capita to rival New York City.
Galleries, theaters, and shops abound, and the beauty of Wellington is that so much is within walking distance. It is a compact place with a pronounced cosmopolitan elegance, and an exciting corporate component adds to the rich urban atmosphere: Morning, noon, and night, “the suits,” as they are affectionately called here, crowd the streets.
Today’s Wellington is diverse and sophisticated. The fact that it can be extremely cold and windy here in winter is understandable if you consider there is little between the capital and Antarctica to stop the gales. And the fact that so much of the city of glass-fronted high-rises sits on a major fault line seems of so little concern to its inhabitants that I almost feel picky raising the issue. Speaking of raising, it’s interesting to note that a large portion of Wellington’s waterfront playground is located on reclaimed land (just like Hong Kong)–much of it forced up by a giant 1855 earthquake and finished off by clever acts of reclamation.
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Waterfront. (12-08-2003)
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Waterfront. (12-08-2003)
It took me a while to get my bearings in the city centre. I was dropped off close to Courtenay Place. As I had no breakfast I went to a food market and had an Indian. I had a nice Curry Chicken and rice a few days ago in Napier. Anyway after that I walked to the Cambridge Hostel and Booked in. I had rung them from the bus station (which is beside the parliament). It was 22 NZUS per night. Its ran and build like a hotel. Nice central area and big roomy dorms. The place also has good bathroom facilities. There were only two other people in my eight person dorm. I just dropped by bags and headed to Te Papa Tongarewa–The Museum of New Zealand
One of the largest national museums in the world, Te Papa is redefining the word museum. Built at a cost of NZ$317 million ($133 million), it is believed to be 5 years ahead of anything of its kind in the world, combining interactive technology with stunning world-class displays that tell the story of New Zealand–its history, art, and natural environment. Advanced motion simulators take visitors back in time to the explosive formation of New Zealand and the prehistoric landscape, and in the present you can try virtual-reality bungee jumping, shear a sheep, or ride on the back of a whale.
Te Papa is also a partnership between Pakeha (the majority culture of European descent) and Maori culture. It includes a range of magnificent exhibitions featuring * Manu Whenua, some of the country’s most significant Maori treasures, as well as * Te Marae, a unique 21st-century carved meetinghouse. Visitors can share in formal Maori welcomes and iwi (tribal) ceremonies, see how the Maori navigated the Pacific, and learn the stories behind the carvings and the Treaty of Waitangi.
The second level contains Mountains to Sea, which puts the spotlight on the natural world. From minuscule insects to the gigantic skeleton of a 21m (69-ft.) pygmy blue whale, it presents both the familiar and the bizarre of New Zealand’s natural inhabitants. Mana Pasifika explores how Pacific Island cultures have influenced and affected New Zealand. On the Sheep’s Back examines the place of those friendly, woolly creatures in the lives of New Zealanders, often in a surprising and witty manner. * Passports explores the migrant story of New Zealand in a fantastic exhibition and audiovisual presentation that is one of the highlights of the museum.
Spread over five levels, the museum includes much more and warrants at least half a day’s exploration. It’s playful, imaginative, bold, and more than impressive. It is an essential destination if you’re keen to learn more about New Zealand. Few people leave unmoved. It’s stunningly high-tech and loads of fun. On top of that, the architecture isn’t bad, either.
Special guided tours must be prebooked. The 45-minute Introduction To Te Papa Tour runs at 10:15am and 2pm and costs NZ$9 ($3.80) for adults. Request foreign-language guides at the time of booking. A self-guided tour booklet is available at the information desk for NZ$2 (85¢), an excellent investment.
Te Papa has three eateries: the impressive Icon, Food Train for light meals, and Espresso Bar for coffee and snacks. It also has a superb gift shop, Te Papa Store, featuring original crafts and top Maori designs.
This is some amazingg museum. As the blurb says its all high rwch interactive games and quizes and visitor participation. Its free entry and I spend 4 hours (until I was kicked out at closing at 6.00pm). I did not see half of whats to be seen and I will be back. Its great. Had some nice stories about immigrants from Kerry.
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Te Papa. (12-08-2003)
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Te Papa. (12-08-2003)
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Te Papa. (12-08-2003)
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Te Papa. (12-08-2003)
After the museum I walked around the bay area and went on the NET for an hour. There is a alternative movie house, cinema called Paramovnt near the hostel and were showing The tunnel, about a real life attempt to smuggle people below the Berlin Wall. City of God is on there Thursday which I MUST see.
East German Harry Melchior wants out – but not without his sister Lotte. She however feels that an escape attempt into West Berlin would be too dangerous for her little daughter, and decides to stay behind. Harry swears that he will return to rescue them. Once safely in the West, he teams up with his best friend Matthis, an engineer, and together they plan a nearly impossible rescue project. Nine harrowing months and 145 meters later – despite cave ins, flooding, and the everpresent danger of beeing dicovered by Stasi spies – the team breaks through the cellar of a building in East Berlin?
)
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Wellington – New Zealand – Flyer for the Film. (11-08-2003)
It was 11.30pm at night when the film ended and it was still raining. I enjoyed the film even though its in German with subtitles. As the cinema says – Cinema for Grown-ups Since 1917. I wasnt bored by the film as knowing its a true story makes it all the more compeling. I headed back to the hostel.