Wellington
The Beehive of Parliament House
The iconic Beehive designed by the British architect Basil Spence still divides opinion. I think it is by far the most distinctive part of the NZ Parliament building complex.
We really only paid Wellington a fleeting visit, being the gateway to the South Island via the Wellington to Picton ferry.
The waterfront was pleasant enough.
The Museum of NZ had very well presented exhibits showing aspects of the history & geology of the country.
Outside of the museum is the Kupe Statue (below) traditionally the Polynesian discoverer of New Zealand.
We took a LoTR tour of various sites associated with scenes from the film. A great disappointment as they had all be cleared up after the filming, so there was nothing to see beyond our guide showing film stills.
An angry Gandalf agreeing with us(from the above museum!)
Swing Bridge in Kaitoke Regional Park – Ann didn’t appreciate me rocking the flimsy swing bridge. Couldn’t help it!
Marlborough Sounds. A very scenic cruise between the North & South Islands. Unfortunately a cold and blustery day.