On our way back to our apartment we stop at Pizza Napoli, a small well-known local place. We arrive at just the right time to be escorted by the owner to a table next to the windows. The pepperoni pizza and bottle of Sangiovese is perfect as we watch the constant heavy drizzle and the people of Wellington bustling as they leave work and make their way to the bars and restaurants or to start their commute home.
The forecast is rain for the next few days. Although we are not exactly Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds singing in the rain, we decide that a positive attitude towards the rain is in order. We start the day equipped with raincoat and umbrella. First stop is the Portrait Gallery. There are approximately 60 pieces of art, centering around New Zealand artists. I'm particularly fond of Leo Bensemann's "Portraits of Rita Angus" where she is made up as Cleopatra, "Luncheon Under the Ash Tree" by Evelyn Page and Rita Angus' "Portrait of Leo" (Bensemann). A couple of blocks away is the Wellington Museum. The first floor takes an interesting approach providing insights on events in Wellington in a timeline from the 1800's through the current day. The other floors showcase the dockside and shipping/naval history. We leave the museum to see some other point of interest within a 3km distance. These include the bucket fountain on Cuba Street, the Opera House and the St. James Theater. Our destination is the Embassy Theater, a classic theater building which has been converted into a multi-screen movie theater. It also houses a jazz club/lounge and separate bar. The seats are comfortable as we settle in to watch the movie LaLa Land.
On our way back to our apartment we stop at Pizza Napoli, a small well-known local place. We arrive at just the right time to be escorted by the owner to a table next to the windows. The pepperoni pizza and bottle of Sangiovese is perfect as we watch the constant heavy drizzle and the people of Wellington bustling as they leave work and make their way to the bars and restaurants or to start their commute home.
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I have just finished reading Amor Towles' fictional book A Gentleman in Moscow. It is a delightful read, one I highly recommend. In 1922 Count Alexander Rostov is sentence to house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel by a Bolshevik tribunal for writing a poem deemed to encourage revolt. He manages to live a very full life over the next 40 years and helps others he meets along the way. Some of my favorite insights/lessons from the book include: "The Count reviewed the menu in reverse order as was his habit, having learned from experience that giving consideration to appetizers before entrées can only lead to regrets". "For when life makes it impossible for a man to pursue his dreams, he will connive to pursue them anyway". "Perhaps it is inescapable that when our lives are in flux, despite the comfort of our beds, we are bound to keep ourselves awake grappling with anxieties- no matter how great or small, how real or imagined". It's a sunny day as we walk 1 km to the New Zealand Parliament buildings. There are tours every hour and we arrive just as the noon tour fills. We are placed in the 1 pm tour, so we have plenty of time to explore the area then return for our tour. We walk past New St. Paul's Cathedral then make our way to the much more interesting Old St. Paul's. It was started in 1866 and added onto through 1891. It is constructed with woods native of New Zealand and has some impressive stained glass windows. The interior is reports to be been likened to the upturned hull of an Elizabethan galleon. We return to the New Zealand Executive Office Building (which is also known as the Beehive due to it's round structure). We must turn in our camera's and cell phones, which is understandable. The tour starts upstairs in the Beehive where we are shown the area where State dinners are held. We make our way to the Parliament building, stopping in the chambers of the now defunct upper house, then to a Select Committee Room. We learn about the elections process as well as how a bill becomes law. The last building in the complex is the Library, which was the original Parliament Building and Library. As the end of our tour approaches the Parliament is about to go into session. We break off and make our way to the Debating Chamber visitor's gallery. The session is started with pomp as the Speaker parades into the Chamber then starts the session with a Christian prayer. There is a resolution of support for the firefighters battling the blazes near Christchurch. A representative of each party (there are seven) gives a five minute speech of support - the representative of the Maōri party giving his speech entirely in the Maōri language. Then it is time for the MP's to pose questions to the Cabinet Ministers. It is humorous to watch the MP's heckle the Cabinet Ministers during their responses. After watching Parliament for a while we leave and cross the street to the old Government Building. It is a large wooden structure which was the original administrative building for the city. It is now owned and occupied by a local law school.
The sun is shining and it is 20C (68F) - perfect weather for a long walk! Our sight-seeing begins with a walk to Cable Car Lane. At the kiosk William purchases our tickets for the 120 meter, 5 minute ride up to the top of the Cable Car. After we arrive we spend 20 minutes exploring the Cable Car Museum, seeing the old cable cars and the original winding gear used to haul them up the hillside. Right outside of the museum is the path to the Wellington Botanical Gardens. The gardens were established in 1868 and covers 25 hectares. We begin strolling the downhill path through various vegetation toward the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the Begonia House. When we arrive we take a 20 minute break for coffee and a decision. Do we continue walking downhill toward our hotel, or climb back up through the Botanical Gardens to the Cable Car? It is a pretty easy decision. Our continued downhill walk takes us through Bolton Street Cemetery. There are memorial monuments to for the influential as well as common people who helped shape Wellington and New Zealand.
On Tuesday it is still windy, but we explore the harbor then stroll to the Te Papa Museum. We start at the top on Level 6 to see the view of the city/harbor from the Terrace. Then we wind through the various exhibits. When we reach Level 2 there is huge exhibit "Gallipoli: The scale of our war". I recall from reading a biography of Winston Churchill that the Gallipoli Peninsula was a huge battle in WWI where the British were defeated after many months of battle, but I had never associated it with New Zealand. The museum does an amazing job with 25 foot models of people as well as side exhibits explaining the battle and the conditions from the viewpoint of the New Zealand sailors and infantry who were deployed to the battle.
When we wake on Monday morning the temperature is already 24C (75F) and is expected to reach 32C (90F) in Hastings. The wind is blowing mightily. Our destination city and home for the next week is Wellington where the temperature is going to be a high of 19C (66F). Winds are gusting to 30 mph. William must firmly grip the wheel as he drives the car south on Highway 2. The orchards and vineyards we are accustomed to take their leave and the landscape turns to ranching and diary farming. We watch (and follow) the drivers of small campers as they struggle against the wind to keep their vehicles on the road. It seems inevitable, and outside of Papatawa we come across a camper that has rolled over into a ditch - emergency crews have just arrived to assist. After an hour and a half on the road and with a light rain starting we decide to stop for a coffee and a small bite in the town of Woodville. There are four or five cafe's to choose from, but The Nibbley Pig sounds like too much fun to pass up. The rain is coming down much harder as we pick up Highway 3 to continue our journey. Signs warn to slow our speed and of a curvy road ahead. Soon we are going through the Manawatu River Gorge. It is gorgeous, and if it were not for the heavy rain we would stop to enjoy the area. A disappointment. Highway 3 takes us to Highway 57. Tararua Forest and Mount Holdsworth are on our left and the area is very rural. Eventually Highway 57 pops us onto Highway 1, which takes us alongside the ocean on our trip into Wellington. The grey skies and crashing waves are very dramatic. We arrive at the Quest apartment we will call home almost five hours after we left Hastings in Hawke's Bay. The apartment is right in Wellington's central business district. Our apartment is a studio, basically a hotel room with a wall of small appliances. There is a combination washer/dryer unit in the bathroom. It is suitable for only a week's stay.
Most everyone we have met has advised us that we absolutely must go to the Hastings Sunday Farmer's Market. Since the market is literally a short walk down the block from our Bach, this is a no-brainer. We delay breakfast, grab my black bag and stroll over to the Showgrounds. At 9am the market is buzzing with vendors and families. There's a local guitarist entertaining in the center of ~ 50 vendors. There's plenty of locally grown fruit and produce - mostly organic. William decides he needs a coffee; there are three coffee vendors, all with long lines. Oh well......while we wait I am able to snag a couple of open seats near the guitarist. There are baked goods, bacon sandwiches, paella, tacos, sausages and so many other goodies calling to me. With all this to choose from I decide to treat myself to a cone of homemade blueberry gelato on this sunny Sunday morning. - Lol. By the time we complete the circuit my black bag is laden down with zucchini, summer squash, blueberries, plums and peaches. I would have bought much more but tomorrow we leave for Wellington and will likely have a much smaller refrigerator. In the afternoon we decide to try one last Hawke's Bay Winery. This time we select Te Awanga, an area out near Kidnapper's Cove. There are three wineries and Elephant Hill draws us in. The tasting area is very busy, but there is a vacant comfortable couch under an umbrella on the patio. It is an easy choice to just order a glass of their Reserve Chardonnay, sit back and enjoy this beautiful day.
It's an overcast start to Saturday as William drives the car toward Kidnapper's Cove. We have signed up for a four hour tractor ride via the beach to Kidnapper's Cove and the gannet colonies. The tour departure times are based upon the tides and this week they vary from 7 to 11 am. Last week they were in the afternoon to early evening. Promptly at 10am Colin and two other drivers arrive in tractors with their double trailers in tow. Ten minutes later everyone has boarded the trailers, we've had our welcome and safety briefing, and we are off! Along the nine kilometer trek out to the point of Kidnapper's Cove the tractor/trailers stop or get stuck five times. Sometimes our drivers get out and break up the soft rocks. In other instances most everyone on the trailer must get off and walk a short distance while the drivers jockey the tractors/trailers over soft sand and/or rocks. The cliffs show the layers of sediment and rocks that have formed over time. At two points along the cliffs we can distinctly see the fault lines from an earthquake - the layers of sediment/rocks are shifted by four to nine meters. There are two colonies of gannets in Kidnapper's Cove, one about three-quarters to the point along the cliffs and the other at the point. The drivers park the tractors near point and we're given an hour and 15 minutes to explore. The walk to the gannet colony is 1.5 km ... very much uphill. The sun has begun to peek from behind the clouds and if it wasn't for the cool sea breeze it would be a very hot hike. The path is alongside cow pastures then expansive (dry) grasslands. The gannets have nested literally at the point of Kidnapper's Cove. It is a large colony and while the birds are amazing, the area also has an incredible odor! They nest here for about four months each year, during which time the eggs hatch and the chicks add size and weight. When it is almost full size and is plump at some point the chick determines it is time to fly. On it's initial flight it flies to Australia! There it matures further and three to four years later begins returning to New Zealand annually for mating. According to our driver Colin, gannets live about 25 years, most of it on the sea. The tide is further out and on the return trip only two stops are needed for stuck tractors/trailers. This time William and I are on the cliffside and are able to see some of the canyons carved by waterfalls and wind from the cliffs.
We return to our starting point four hours and twenty minutes after our departure. Although we may be stiff tomorrow from the trailer jostling us about, this has been an incredible experience, one that we would recommend to everyone. It's a cool Friday, but the sun is shining. With the blue skies today sounds like a good day to explore Te Mata Peak which rises 399 meters (1,300 feet) above Hawke's Bay. We drive through North Hastings and find Te Mata Peak Road. It twists and turns. We stop at a couple of turn offs on the way up to enjoy the wooded then expansive scenery. The road continues to narrow to the point that it reminds William of driving in Scotland. From the peak we can see much of the bay. Below us we see a winery and decide that is the winery visit for the day. After enjoying the summit we descend to one of the first parking lots in the park. Here we explore the hiking trails. Piwakawaka Loop is just 1.3 km, and it is rated a moderately hard walk. Sounds good. We tramp through the trail enjoying gum trees, native bush, redwoods, and eucalyptus. Once back in the car we make our way to Craggy Range, the winery we saw from the summit. It is a beautiful facility which was built mostly for visitors. They have an upscale restaurant, lovely tasting area and even a few cottages for rent on the property. The wine production occurs a several kilometers away. This time our sommelier is from Budapest! She has a lovely Hungarian-New Zealand accent. She came to New Zealand as a student and was happy to receive a working permit then residency visa. We discuss Craggy Ridge wines and vineyards as well as the "adventure" of flying long distances. We laugh at how she (and we) now consider a 5-6 hour flight a reasonably short time in the air. We like the Craggy Ridge reds, and purchase a bottle of their 2013 Merlot. We're getting quite the collection of wines at home. It turns cooler and the rains that began Tuesday afternoon continue most of the day Wednesday. When we awake Wednesday morning the air temperature is 14C (58F) and it never gets above 18C (65F). It's a good day for indoor activities. We start with at the MTG Hawke's Bay Museum in Napier. There's a mix of Māori, Indian, art and WWI galleries on the ground and first floors. In the basement there is an exhibit on the Earthquake. They have a film of survivors (all children at the time) sharing their memories of the quake and the months soon after. We spend about 90 minutes in the museum. Our afternoon is spent experiencing two wineries in the Fernhill area, Unison and Te Awa. We learn that the vineyards are in an old river bed and that 2013 and 2014 were exceptional years for Hawke's Bay wines. Unison is a smaller winery, while Te Awa has a nicer tasting room. We prefer the wines from Unison and pick up a bottle of their 2013 Classic Blend (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah).
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AuthorHi. I'm Anne. I wander around the world with William. Enjoy Some of our Favorite Links below
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