February 20

Our day of sightseeing in the capital city started with a cable car ride from the suburb of Kelburn, high above the harbour, down to the central business district and the harbour.

Te Papa, the national museum (https://www.tepapa.govt.nz) is housed in a beautiful, modern building on the waterfront. Its exhibitions and collections feature Maori culture and history, NZ participation in WWI at Gallipoli, artifacts and information about Captain Cook’s journeys, a gallery of fine art and a visiting exhibit of the Terracotta Warriors from Xi’an, China. Below ground level, a display of the building’s base isolators, or shock absorbers, describes how the 152 devices are intended to protect the building from earthquake movement.

An example of Victorian architecture on the waterfront

The Beehive houses government offices

The New Zealand Parliament was in session; we sat in the Gallery to observe Question Period for a few minutes.

The former government office building is a beautiful kauri wood structure. Victoria University offices are located there. A remarkable feature is the hanging staircase that has been restored to its original beauty. It has no visible means of support.

Zealandia (https://www.visitzealandia.com/) is a nature sanctuary within the city boundaries. This project is a 500-year vision to encourage the proliferation of native species. The property is fully fenced and patrolled in an effort to restore the area to its pre-human state. New Zealand was free of mammal predators 700 years ago.

Quail are frequently seen on the paths and fences.

Endemic to New Zealand, tuaturas are ‘living fossils,’ a species reptile that existed in the dinosaur era. Search for one in the centre of this photo, then look at the next for a close-up.