Wellington: Middle of Middle Earth (Part 2)

Shopping

Yes, the first thing we did Saturday morning was go shopping. And yes, Brian came along willingly! I'll clarify by saying that we actually were just heading to a Samoan store where I had previously ordered fans for our Dad's for Father's Day because we wanted to get a few more without having to pay for shipping. But once we got inside, we started having fun with the clothing there. Because the majority of members in our church in Christchurch are Samoan we have really come to enjoy their Sunday best. So Brian got a nice black lava lava that he can wear to church and I got a traditional Samoan dress. I'm a little hesitant to wear it here, so maybe I'll wait until we get back to the U.S. We'll see. Either way, we had a blast - and I never, ever thought I would say that Brian could have fun while shopping. 

Mount Victoria

Our trip continued when we took a drive to the top of Mount Victoria, which overlooks Wellington. It was pretty tricky driving up the steep slopes and narrow roads, but we made it with some good navigating by Brian. It was a little overcast, but we still had pretty good visibility.

Near where we parked, there was a sort of sculpture that looked pretty interesting. It turned out that the stones in the structure are from glaciers in Antarctica and it pays homage to a NZ air force guy that did a lot for the exploration of Antartica (or something like that - can't quite remember now...oops). But the stones are definitely from Antarctica because I have the picture to prove it haha.

These stones from Antarctica were the most beautiful and brilliant hue of blue

We then made our way up the stairs to the summit of Mount Victoria. About halfway up we stopped to look at a replica cannon. Apparently, the cannon used to be fired daily and that's how the residents kept time back in the day (similar to Mary Poppins).

 There was also a Maori carving that was pretty cool too.

Up at the top we got to read about the Maori legend of how Wellington harbor was formed. I always find the legends fascinating. The legend says that Wellington harbor was originally a land-locked lake that was home to two large and very active sea monsters (taniwha). One taniwha, name Ngake, was able to forge a passage to the open sea creating the entrance to the harbor. The second taniwha, named Whataitai, tried to follow but wasn't as strong or agile as Ngake and became stranded and died. The Maori believe that Mount Victoria ( the Maori name is Tangi-te keo) was named after the soul of Whataitai.

I love the enthusiasm of this sign!

We also learned about the land bridge that the airport sits on was actually created from an earthquake. 

Looking over the land bridge out to the Cook Strait. Hard to believe all that land between the two hills was created from an earthquake.

The great thing about Mount Victoria is the 360 degree view of amazing landscapes. Directly behind the land bridge, is the inside of Wellington harbor, which boasts an amazing view of downtown Wellington as seen below.

Overlooking the harbor with the rugby stadium in the background. We'll be there later that night!

Close up view of Westpac Stadium - rugby

View of the cricket stadium. It's a full circle! The interesting thing about this stadium is there is basically a huge roundabout that goes around the stadium.

Te Papa Tongarewa Museum
After we had enjoyed the amazing views on Mount Victoria, we made our way back into the city for some culture. Te Papa is the national museum and it was huge! We only took a few pictures as a lot of things are quite similar to the Canterbury museum, but it was definitely worth taking a look.

I don't think I quite fit in this hut

Hungry, Hungry Hippo!
Yes, that is a golden hippopotamus you see in this picture of Brian. 

Anyone who knows Brian well also knows that the hippo is his favorite animal. So much so that his ringtone in the U.S. was "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas"...all year round. So when we saw this hippo while driving around, there was no question that we needed to make a special stop for a picture with it. Just look at that cute grin on my boy!

Still can't believe I got Brian to pose for this picture. He did a good job of being fun and putting up with my need to take pictures. Thanks honey!

After all that fun, we decided to go back to the B&B for a rest before the rugby match that night. I wish we could have made it to Weta Cave, but there just wasn't enough time. Oh well, it was still a great day of sightseeing!