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.
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.
RSS Feed