Wellington, NZ Part 2

Apr 12

When we last visited this port town, and the Capital of New Zealand, we spent most of our time in its interior. Today, we headed to the WHARF and specifically the Te Papa Museum.

Wellington, the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state, features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed. Its economy is primarily service-based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, government, and the film industry. It is the center of New Zealand's film and special effects industries, and increasingly a hub for information technology and innovation, with two public research universities. It is one of New Zealand's chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping and it is a port city for us to get out and explore.

"Te Papa is New Zealand's national museum, renowned for being bicultural, scholarly, innovative, and fun. Its success is built on its relationships with, and ability to represent, the community."
We were there to experience Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War.

A combination of the creative artistry of Wētā Workshop and expert historical research, this ground-breaking exhibition tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Throughout this trip we had heard of Gallipoli and felt we needed to learn more. Oh my gosh, this was a brutal campaign of which we knew nothing.


A little about these giant sculptures. For perspective, Wētā's Sir Richard Taylor is pictured with his creations. The lifelike figures took a staggering 24,000 hours to create, and countless hours were spent researching their rich histories. Cutting-edge technology was also used to create 3-D maps and projections, miniatures, models, dioramas, and a range of interactive experiences that bring New Zealand’s Gallipoli story to life.





I found this artifact interesting. This prayer book saved the life of Private Hone Tahitahi -literally. It stopped a Turkish bullet in its tracks. Tahitahi was struck above the chest and knocked unconscious. The bullet rested under this verse: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' Wow, right?

The Campaign fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey from February 1915 to January 1916. It was part of a broader Allied strategy to force Turkey out of the war, aiming to secure a sea route to Russia and ultimately capture Constantinople (now Istanbul). The campaign was a costly failure for the Allies, resulting in significant casualties and failing to achieve its objectives. In total, 2,779 Kiwis lost their lives on Gallipoli, and many others were scarred forever. Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War took us to the core of this defining event. So very, very sad.
In order to shake the tragedy from 110 years ago, we meandered about, in the glorious sunshine, exploring a part of Wellington we had not seen on our last visit.

Sunshine and water... we were happy travelers.

This was just weird. A diving platform in the harbor. Needless-to-say, even on the hottest of days, this would not have any appeal for us. We know what lurks in harbors.

Saturday in Wellington. Doe it getting any cooler than this?




Cuba Street isn't just a great place for lunch, it is a fun place to discover all the unique images in the Walk/Don't Walk signals. This groovy gal with the bouffant was my favorite.
I'm sorry we weren't in town on April 7th. I would have loved to have answered this request, "Come and watch me fold a fitted sheet on my own". Hysterical.
Our second to last Flat White... what an idyllic way to end an idyllic day.

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