Exploring Wellington
« Previous post in category · Next post in category »Had a thorough exploration of the city today. I started with a ride in the famous red cable car up to the top of the Wellington Botanic Gardens. With a stop for the university near the top, this ride is popular with students keen to avoid an uphill walk. At the top is the Cable Car Museum, which tells the story of how the locals managed to save the cable car when it became too dangerous to ride. It was in fact replaced with a similar design, but the original cable car can be viewed in the Museum, along with the original winding house. There I also watched a fascinating short film on the private cable cars of Wellington – there are over 400 privately owned cable cars used by people to get up to their houses. In some cases the cable car is the only link to the house, and originally brought the building materials up to the house before becoming the only access. In other cases, people with steep paths up to their house have opted to put a cable car in for their old age, rather than have to move house.
I walked down the hill through the Botanic gardens, and feeling the chill, stopped at the cafe by the Rose Garden for an amazing hot chocolate. I also opted for a wonder round the sculpture trail before heading back to the city.
In town, I saw the famous Beehive Building which is the head of parliment, the government buildings which are unusually made of wood, and the high court.
I took in the City Art Gallery with interesting contempory art before heading back to Te Papa for a wonder round some of the huge number of exhibit I’d missed yesterday. Meeting up with a friend we stopped for a pint in the Mac’s Brewery Bar, with its stunning waterfront setting, before heading out for dinner at one of the many cheap eating options.
Mac's Brewery
The waterfront
At Te Papa Museum
The Beehive
Glasshouse in the Botanic gardens
Botanic Gardens
Botanic Gardens
Botanic Gardens
Botanic Gardens
View from the top of the Cable Car
The Cable Car museum has the original Cable Car.
The Cable Car
An ugly bridge trying to be artistic
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