WELLINGTON AND SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

 February 6 - 8


We took a bus tour and visited some highlights of Wellington.    Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and is hailed by many as the “coolest little capital in the world.”   It is located at the southwestern tip of the North Island overlooking Cook’s Strait.   The city has a lot of features similar to San Francisco…lots of steep hills, narrow streets, a cable car and Victorian style houses.   


Our bus took us first to the hilltop terminal of the Wellington Cable car where we had a panoramic view of the city and the bay.   Then we visited the Botanical Gardens of Wellington.   While the rose garden was just beyond prime and had taken a beating from recent storms, it was still beautiful. The flowers and plants in the green house were beyond description.   Our iPhone cameras don’t do justice, but we include a sampling.   Finally, our driver took us to the top of Mount Victoria where we got an even better view of the city and surrounds.   The drive was entertaining…..narrow road barely wide enough to handle two-way traffic and tight switch backs.  To make matters worse they allowed cars to park half way into the lane.   At one point going down we met another tour bus coming up at one of the switch backs.   It took a couple of minutes for the two drivers to navigate that passing.   A little Vaseline would have helped.   One day was much too little time to really appreciate this charming city.   


New Zealand is said to be the last major country occupied by humans with the Maori arriving in the 13th century and the Europeans in the 18th century.    NZ is made up of two large landmasses - the North Island and the South Island - and some 700 small islands.   About 75% of the 5.6 million citizens live on the North Island.  (There are estimated to be about 5 times as many sheep as there are people in NZ.)  


Leaving Wellington we headed along the western shore of South Island.   Our captain took a scenic detour through Doubtful Sound, near the southern tip of South Island.   The waterway is about 25 miles long and the area is completely uninhabited.  It is surrounded by lush green mountains with beautiful waterfalls.  The story goes that Captain Cook in the mid 1700s discovered this waterway, but wouldn’t enter for fear his ship would get stuck.   We didn’t have any problem but we had the benefit of engines instead of sails.


We made another entry into South Island cruising into Milford Sound.   South Island is a large and rugged landmass with steep mountains and very few people.  You can see why it was a perfect backdrop for the Lord of the Rings movie.  


Now off to Tasmania.  


                                             East View of Wellington from top terminal of cable car

                                             West view of Wellington from top terminal of cable car

                                                       Inside Greenhouse of Botanical Garden

                                                        Banana Plant

                                                        Inside Greenhouse of Botanical Garden

                                                        Oops - duplicate

                                             Inside Greenhouse of Botanical Garden

                                              Inside Greenhouse of Botanical Garden

                                                       Inside Greenhouse of Botanical Garden

                                                       Entering Doubtful Sound - South Island NZ

                                              Doubtful Sound.   See any Hobbits?

                                                        Waterfall  - Doubtful Sound
 
         Explorer's Lounge at the front of the ship as we enter Milford Sound - a good place for viewing

Milford Sound - note resort at right of pic - accessible only by boat or plane.  Only sign of people we saw on South Island.   The water fall provides a source of water and electricity for the small community.

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