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Bright and early, docked at Wellington, "the coolest little capital in the world" according to it's strap line. From a distance it certainly appears to live up to the little; compact it is. No bad thing from our point of view; sometimes the big cities of recent visits have left us with a feeling of where to start and what to leave out. Oriana is berthed across the road from the Westpac Stadium, one of the major rugby union venues in these parts, and shares a dockside with vast quantities of felled timber ready for shipment to Japan. We are reminded of the phrase "giants toothpicks" we last came across in Oregon many years ago. Shuttle buses take us to the city centre in less than 10 minutes. So this is rush hour - we could get used to this level of pressure. This is a very low rise city, whether this is due to earthquake risk, low land values or lack of demand is not clear but it is certainly unlike any developed, western capital city we have ever come across. Not that we are complaining. First stop is to catch the cable car, a funicular, to Carter's Observatory, overlooking the city. From here it is a real joy to walk back down to the city through the Botanic Gardens, an intriguing mix of temperate and semi-tropical vegetation, impeccably well maintained considering access is free, with cicadas hammering away in the background. Well, not really in the background, these are quite the most vociferous cicadas we have come across. They're like Pavarotti on steroids, come to think of it he looks like he already is or was - show some respect. At the foot of the Gardens are the Government and Parliament buildings, but these people aren't taking themselves seriously. Where are the armed police, the concrete blocks, the security barriers? Do they expect ordinary regular citizenry to be able to have direct access to those in charge? Have they no sense of their own importance? Whisper it, might they even be in touch with those they govern? From here we move back towards the centre, passing through the railway station, a beautifully maintained structure of tiled floors and great tranquility spoilt by the occasional passage of a train, a few travellers and not much else. I fancy the company employees seemed to spend as much time tending to the needs of the flower beds as they did to transport functions. But it is, seemingly, another throwback to a bygone age. A brief stop for a coffee and to scribble a few postcards and also a quick update on the wifi, a free city wide service would you believe. The cathedral is a pretty monstrous concrete structure which we hurry past, but you don't have to worry over the salvation of our souls, we are headed for Old St. Pauls, the original city church, built entirely of wood. On a much smaller scale than the new cathedral it is nonetheless an impressive structure, now more of a museum it is beautifully restored and well worth a visit. We have by now virtually worked our way back down to the waterfront, and it is still not midday; this is a very manageable city. The waterfront has, like so many around the world, been restored and recovered as a retail/social area with bars, cafes, restaurants, a heliport for sightseeing flights (unfortunately the next generation's fast dwindling inheritance package will not sustain this, much to their relief no doubt!), and at the far end, Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. The quayside fills with joggers, cyclists and keep fit enthusiasts as lunch time approaches. Remembering how intimidated the beach boys were on Manly beach by my super honed physique I decide not to join in. Te Papa is a mix of natural history, geology and cultural history with lots of interactive displays and hi-tech gizmos, all very well laid out over four floors of a clean, modern building and we enjoy an extended visit. There are some particularly effective and thought provoking displays dealing with the culture and role of the Maori people. You get a sense that New Zealand is doing much more to redress some of the historic calamities visited upon their native peoples than appears to be the case in Australia, but our experience may be limited. To finish off the day in Wellington we indulge in a bit of retail therapy; there are some some good value opportunities but overall we do feel things are pretty expensive. Wellington though is a really good, low key, compact city. Everything is in easy reach, life feels to be very evenly paced, there is not the highly pressurised feel of a big capital city. As we said at the beginning- the coolest little capital in the world- it most certainly is. Not another one to go on the "must come back to" list surely? Possibly - well, New Zealand anyway!
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