Wet and Windy Wellington

Saturday, January 07, 2023
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
The next stop on our itinerary was Wellington. 
Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, sits near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait. A compact city, it encompasses a waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbour and colourful timber houses on surrounding hills. From Lambton Quay, the iconic red Wellington Cable Car heads to the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Strong winds through the Cook Strait give it the nickname "Windy Wellington."
It is also the country's cultural capital and the third most populous urban area in New Zealand.
The city is home to many museums, theatres and arts festivals, including Te Papa Tongarewa (the Museum of New Zealand), the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and the biennial Festival of the Arts.
Wellington was my turn to organize. This proved particularly challenging when our time in Port was cut by Holland America a few weeks before the cruise giving us only a few hours here which was really not long! The port is not in town but near the stadium (about a 50 minute walk), with no passengers access hence you have to be on a bus or shuttle of some sort which requires additional coordination instead of just walking or getting a taxi or uber. These big cruise lines do make things difficult for an independent traveller compared to the small boat experiences in Croatia and Greece we have done. Hence our planned 5 hours in Wellington was probably 3 at best.
However as we sailed into Wellington, we were told that our arrival into Picton tomorrow was cancelled and we would have to stay in Wellington for another day due to weather. This meant our independent tours for the following day had to be cancelled (both operators provided refunds thankfully). We were really disappointed but since we are ship passengers with no control of itinerary we had no choice but to make the best of it. 
So, although we were spending the night in Wellington, logistics of transport to the dock being restricted, and no access to the ship at all during the night (gangway closed at 10pm) meant we pretty much had to return to the ship on the last shuttle at 7pm if not before. (There was a small window where a taxi to the North Gate was possible although this was still a considerable walk to the ship in wet and windy weather especially with Tim on crutches so was hardly appealing).
Anyway, as soon as we got off the ship in Wellington (3pm by this stage), we caught a shuttle into town and headed straight for Wellingtons’ most visited tourist attraction. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum. Usually known as Te Papa (Māori for 'the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand and the National Art Gallery. An average of more than 1.5 million people visit every year, making it the 17th-most-visited art gallery in the world. Te Papa operates under a bicultural philosophy, and emphasises the living stories behind its cultural treasures.
It was an excellent museum, including the Gallipolli - The scale of our War Exhibition. Te Papa has joined forces with Weta Workshop to create an exhibition like no other.
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. 
After this, we headed to Cuba Street for a few drinks. Cuba Street is a prominent city street in Wellington, New Zealand. Among the best known and most popular streets in the city, the Cuba precinct has been labelled Wellington's cultural centre, and is known for its high-per-capita arts scene the world over. It's the home of the high/low: dine out on delicious $10 dumplings or a divine degustation at renowned restaurant, Logan Brown; there is a Bucket Fountain and street art or cutting-edge contemporary art at one of the street's art galleries. Wellington's home of the unexpected, the quirky, the alternative and the fun – there's always something new to discover on Cuba Street. Despite the rain, it was Saturday afternoon and hence very busy!
We made it to get the final shuttle back to the ship at 7pm and enjoyed dinner onboard. 
The next day (our bonus Wellington day - albeit at the expense of Picton) was cold but at least not raining! But was only 15 degrees with a very cold wind chill. There really isn’t a lot more to see in Wellington so we went straight to their main attraction (after the museum) which was the Cable Car. 
The Wellington Cable Car is a funicular railway in Wellington, New Zealand, between Lambton Quay, the main shopping street, and Kelburn, a suburb in the hills overlooking the central city, rising 120 m over a length of 612 m. There are some spectacular white timber homes on the hill including The Botanic Gardens at the top with some walkways. Tim and I wandered through the gardens for a while and then shopped for a bit in the city. We enjoyed Cuba Street so much that we enjoyed a yummy light lunch in a gorgeous restaurant with a NZ Chardonnay! We returned to the ship just in time for the 3.30 departure. Our nightly entertainment included the Orange Party which was a lot of fun - even if my orange Boa left feathers everywhere I went!
We did enjoy our time in Wellington, and found the restaurant/bar/cafe culture to be excellent. 
Unfortunately as we departed, the captain announced that the rest of our itinerary was cancelled (being Rotarua and Auckland) and instead we were being taken to Christchurch and picking up an extra day at sea. This did not please any of us at all.
The risk of itinerary changes is certainly a consideration when evaluating a cruising holiday. Whilst you can’t help the weather, at least independently on land you are in control of your destiny far more. 

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