Our next port of call was the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington, a contrast to the small towns previously visited. We had a sight-seeing tour to orient ourselves first. The commentator knew Peter Jackson in his youth, and pointed out filming landmarks associated with him as well as the more obvious landmarks. The government building which is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world and the “Beehive” which is the name given to the executive wing of the parliament building. It is so called because its shape is reminiscent of the traditional woven bee hive, or skep.
We were then dropped us off at the bottom of a cable car, which took us to the top of a park. Having admired the view, the coach took us to the bottom of the park, where we had time to dawdle round the rose gardens and have a cup of coffee.
Afterwards, the coach took us to the vantage point of Victoria Hill with marvellous views of the city – and good views of the iconic tui birds.
Returning to the city, we were dropped us off, and spent some time looking along the main street, before catching the shuttle bus back to the cruise ship.
An impressive city, with a packed itinerary to make the most of limited time! If you have limited time in Wellington, I would certainly recommend a city tour.
