Last night was a visit to the cocktail bar and another show. This morning we watched our passage from the South Island to the North Island while we had breakfast. Wellington is the windy city and our docking in the harbour and subsequent departure for today’s tour was delayed due to high winds. Our driver/guide was a Māori and he welcomed us in the Māori language. Our first stop was at the National museum – Te Papa. Here we saw some of the Māori exhibits, a little of the natural history section and a history of immigration into New Zealand. We also learnt a little of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and the Māori and the controversies this still causes (essentially the British and Māori versions of the text differ so the Māori didn’t get what they signed up to, particularly since the British ignored the treaty and did what they wanted anyway – another shameful bit of British history). From here we drove along a coastal road which took us to, believe it or not, Kilbirnie! We ascended Mount Victoria for a panoramic view of the city and the harbour, including our ship in the dock. A windy road took us back down for a brief visit to the Botanic Gardens, where the highlights were the Begonia House and the Rose Garden. Our drive back to the ship took us through the city and we stopped to see the parliament building. Back late for lunch, but for once managed to go to afternoon tea.
