Peace and Love (Wellington, New Zealand)

Wellington. Yeah. I like it.  Compared to a capital city like Canberra it is a definite winner. It has a great feeling, something like Hobart, although it feels bigger. I assume being contained by the water has an impact there.  There are plenty of venues to eat and drink. I could come back and spend much more time here exploring this lovely, relaxed place. It has been cool, around 16°, but not cold.

There is some funky sculpture around the place and, when you least expect it, a classic piece of architecture from yesteryear. Like the little place above, it's a restaurant and I would have loved to have had the time to eat there. The building was just sitting there hiding among some, well, not high rise, but you get the idea. In Sydney we would have bulldozed it on the basis that it was no longer significant to the concrete, glass and plastic world we have created.

Just around the corner and open to the public

Establishments to eat and drink appear to dominate. The culture is laid back and no-one appears to be in a hurry, despite the proliferation of joggers. It's all good, as someone remarked at the café this morning. Which is probably a good place to commence the day.

So, my dear reader, after a fairly average night's sleep, it was time to tackle Wellington. Breakfast first. We wended our way to the Flight Coffee Hangar in Dixon Street. Or, if you're a local, the Hangar. Regardless, you need to stop by; for more information, click here. 

The coffee was awesome. The world was calmed. Life stopped, just for a moment. Then it resumed. The room was all polished concrete and blocks. The crowd never diminished. Anyone who left was replaced as the door swung back and forwards. The local police take their coffee here. Breakfast ... oh, yeah ... bacon, tomatoes and sourdough. And, um, yeah, Jayne probably had eggs, whatever. And then ... the OJ ... seriously, it doesn't get any better than this.

The body rebuilt, it was time to tackle the the museum. Te Papa, to be exact. It is, or, et us, the museum of New Zealand. Entry is free, although there are a number of places where you are offered the opportunity to make a contribution to support the museum. Just do it. What is on offer at the museum is quite remarkable and it can't/won't continue without public support - unless of course the NZ government takes an alternate view to that of my home country. What is that dear reader? Oh, yes, I see ... well, donate anyway, it will help the museum.

I don't have a lot of photos from the museum. The simple reason is that the things I wanted to photograph were considered culturally sensitive, so no photography. Fair enough. But this one is a cracker, particularly if you are Australian. An eye-catching poster. They could have had any number of pictures from the Australian fires underneath to illustrate the point. That would have been the simplest and most poignant of exhibitions ... unless you are a journalist for a Murdoch media outlet and believe the fires have nothing to do with climate change.

Well, NZ can acknowledge its existence, come on Australia.

In we went and up the stairs to the first exhibition: Gallipoli. There's a fun way to begin a day. A review of the wanton loss of human life, in particular, young male life, from small communities that couldn't afford it. From an Australian view point, it was interesting to see the Kiwi perspective, particularly since it has never really been acknowledged in our school history texts. ANZAC. What? The NZ means New Zealand? Who knew? 

There were some confronting graphics which elicited audible gasps from the observers. Overall, I wonder what these exhibitions are meant to achieve. This one had an indigenous focus and looked at the Māori involvement and how that came about. It is difficult to look at some of these events in retrospect and accept them, even understanding the intent. 

Feeling incredibly uplifted after the Gallipoli exhibition, (yes, sarcasm, just being explicit for ... you know who you are) we continued our exploration of the museum. Next was a series of exhibits that explored the concept of the shaky isles, history of and adaptation to tremors and volcanic activity. My feet were getting sore and we hadn't even left the second level.

Level 3 was entitled "Blood Earth Fire" and looked at the human invasion of New Zealand. Not a hugely difficult task when you are looking at 7,000 years of history. Imagine if Australia ever acknowledged its indigenous history? Conservatively we are looking at 70,000 years. Given current scientific dating techniques, we could actually be talking about 120,000 years, or more. Yeah, but we never had a treaty like the Waitangi Treaty, so ... imagine the difference it would have made ... an indigenous voice in parliament from the beginning, recognition ... 

There was more Māori stuff on the next level. Exploration of how the Māori came to be in New Zealand, where they came from and the impact they had on the land. The arrival of the Pākehā (white people) and the massive change as a result of their arrival, not just in social terms, but in the use of the land. Apparently, European settlement in those days meant clear the trees for sheep and cattle. Just like Australia. It was rape and pillage of the land. The land would never recover. A good reference here if you are seeking further understanding from an Australian perspective is Deep Time Dreaming or Dark Emu.

It was after 2pm when we strolled back into into daylight. We were surprised. Where had the last 2 hours gone? A few minutes earlier we had been discussing lunch. Admittedly we did explore the art exhibits, but really? We paused to adjust to the glare of daylight (without smoke haze) and then set out for the cable car. Yes dear reader, Wellington has a cable car. We needed the map to find it, despite having walked past it twice. It is carefully hidden in Cable Car Alley.

So, what did it look like? Unsurprisingly, a red cable car, the likes of which you've seen around the world. The concept is the same, it's a tram/car, attached to cables that haul it up a mountain side. As far as that goes, it met the criteria. We reached the top of Wellington: the Botanic Gardens, the Observatory, a café that served craft beer and suburbia with a view of the bay. Photos of view achieved, it was beer time in the afternoon sun. There was a cable car museum also, but, hey, life is too short for that.

Back at sea level we had a brief diversion to Countdown (Woolworths if you are Australian) and then back to the hotel before heading out for lunch/dinner at the Thistle Inn.

Read on, it'll make sense. And, no, it's not what you're thinking.

Walking around Wellington, and previous research, revealed some interesting things. Firstly, Wellington is a city that prides itself on the number of residents who choose to walk to work or catch public transport. Really? There is a Wilson Car park on every corner - parking from $4. And there were no cars on the roads. It was eerily quiet at times. As for walking ... electric scooters. Lazy bastards. Walk like the advertising material says.

Secondly, the pedestrian lights. They certainly keep you guessing. There are the standard sets: red man, green man. Variation one: the second countdown before the lights change and you know you are toast to oncoming traffic. Variation two: a red man, green lady. Gender equity, yeah? Nuh. The lady looks like Mary Poppins without her carpet bag. What century is this? Variation three: the haka. I'm not sure how to describe it but both the red and green man are involved and it is definitely the haka.

The more I look at this, the more I believe it is a woman doing the haka.

After that brief diversion, the Thistle Inn, click here. A corner pub. A gastro pub in NZ terms. Lots of polished timber, not just on the floor. Tables, bar stools, a glass floor section looking back to a bygone era. Friendly staff, great atmosphere ... am I sounding like an ad? It was a great way to spend the afternoon. The crowd appeared to be 'academic'. Well, we were near a university. That didn't detract from the atmosphere or the wine or the food.

In other posts, I have explored the concept of the "best fish and chips" in Sydney. Well, today I have expanded the search to include Wellington. Yes, my dear reader, not even UberEats will get your fish'n'chips to you in Sydney from Wellington without them being soggy. But this place is seriously worth a visit. And they have a dining room. With starched table cloths and silverware. Ok, the silverware isn't real, but they have gone the distance. I could easily spend a day here.

The title today? I'm not trying to make a habit of a late reveal, it was more, well, disinterest. Peace and Love by the House of Shem (2017) was a nifty little reggae number playing in the museum today. My only concern was that it is religious song, written and performed by a local church group. So, I'll just leave that there. And not make any further comment. On this page. Just in my head.

And so, who knows what tomorrow brings? Well, I do, sort of, the drive to Napier.

Until then.