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The Capital
Located on the south end of the north island, Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. The city is a beautiful blend of old, new and recognition of the country’s establishment by the Maori people. Luanne’s friend, Catherine, has lived and worked here since 2006. She is an active member of New Zealand’s environmental commission, but took time off to show us the sights of her city.
Naturally one of the first items was to visit Brooklyn (yes, that is what the neighborhood is called) and see the huge wind generator. Just as naturally, it was extremely foggy. The weather cleared and we proceeded to Zealandia (as described on its web site): "ZEALANDIA is the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, with an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state. The 225 hectare [about 500 acres] ecosanctuary is a groundbreaking conservation project that has reintroduced over 20 species of native wildlife back into the area, some of which were previously absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years.”
After lunch we visited the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. This museum is a cultural lesson and preservation of the Maori presence in the country. For copyright reasons no photos are allowed inside. Take our word for it—amazing!
