We arrived in the capital city of Wellington in the early afternoon, dropped our bags at the hotel and headed straight to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Upon learning we'd be in Wellington, numerous people mentioned it as a must-do.
Te Papa Tongarewa
We saw all kinds of cool stuff in our couple of hours there from art to exotic kiwi animals. They had an exhibit on tectonic plates, volcanoes and earthquakes which I'd recently studied a bit with Paige in her home schooling, which I thought was cool (unfortunately, Paige wasn't that excited). We did all enjoy the simulated earthquake house.
In some ways, it felt like being back in NYC. A really nice museum and great play/experience space for the girls.
What didn't feel like NYC was a mediocre/bad burger we had for dinner. We haven't eaten junk food often on the trip, but when you do, you expect it to taste good. Not this time.
Before the food came, Sarah and I did get to enjoy a moment at the bar with a beer while the girls colored at the booth.
Wellington Water
Wellington is on the most southern point of the North Island. It's a port city with really nice views across the water. After dinner, we walked along the water back to our hotel to take it all in.
We stopped at the Solace in the Wind statue, which I then visited the next morning on a run.
Rowing Races
Walking along, we also stopped and enjoyed watching a high school rowing race taking place in the harbor. It's fun to see part of daily life that is so different than what we're used to at home.
Another Tennis Buddy
We headed back to the hotel, where I met up with Rob, an old tennis friend. Sarah and the girls came down before bedtime to meet Rob and say hello. Afterward, Rob and I headed out for a couple of beers to catch up. You can read about that in this post.
It was a quick afternoon in the capital. Tomorrow we're on a plane to the South Island!
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