Wellington: Te Papa, Zealandia and Parliament

Forgive me for not posting an entry yesterday - there was just so little happening that I combined the two days together.
Yesterday the weather was also quite bad, lots of gray clouds and wind. Nevertheless, I went for a short hike up Mt. Victoria and what did I see - nothing. These clouds always appear at the most inconvenient times and in the most inconvenient places!

That's why there are no pictures of the view, because there was no view.

But with weather like that, you actually have a good excuse to go to the museum. In my case, I went to the famous Te Papa.

Like almost all museums in New Zealand, I didn't have to pay an entrance fee. The museum has a total of 6 floors (with the top one just being a platform) and it's simply gigantic. I've heard of people spending three whole days in this museum and if you were to read most of the information boards in every exhibition, you would need that long too.
To be honest, though, most of the exhibitions didn't interest me.
The exhibition about the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I was the one I liked the most.
As is often the case in New Zealand, museums don't shy away from the topic of war and the horrors and atrocities of the war are explained in great detail. There was even an animation showing the damage caused by bullets, shot, and grenades on the human skeleton. In front of it, there were children pressing the buttons with enthusiasm - macabre.
Other than that, a whole floor was dedicated to Maori culture and I've already had enough of that. There was an exhibition on Terracotta Warriors that you had to pay for, but that got canceled.
Then there was something about agriculture and its impact on nature over time (that was quite good), immigration, and an art gallery with modern art.
I walked through all the exhibitions (including the art gallery) and still only spent three hours in the museum.
Outside, there was a cute little bushwalk with a playground, which lifted the mood a bit.

Because I had gotten quite a headache and also didn't have a real plan, I started making my way back home relatively early. I did some shopping in between, then relaxed a bit and did some exercise. By the way, there are always things to organize, check, etc. So I can make use of my rare free time.

Today started with clouds as well, but then quickly turned into bright sunshine.
I only managed to do half of the things I had planned, but the day was still great.

Originally, I wanted to take the Cable Car up to the Botanic Gardens, but there was a cruise ship in town. And that means: tourists everywhere, especially at the main attractions.
I just took a glance at that never-ending line and decided to walk instead. But I will take that Cable Car one day!

From the gardens, there's a free shuttle to Zealandia - a bird sanctuary on the outskirts of the city.
The sanctuary covers a total of 225 hectares - gigantic! Bounded by a specially predator-proof fence, it allows for the development of native birds in native bush.
An hour-long loop walk takes you through the heart of the sanctuary, past a river, and offers everything important in a compact form.
However, what was more interesting to me was choosing the other, steeper, more challenging hiking trails where no one else gets lost. That way, I had nature all to myself, at least no people around me.
Because there were bird calls everywhere! Whistling, creaking, even hissing! The fluttering of heavy wings, then a rustling in the trees. It was really difficult to spot the birds in all that green, and eventually, I just contented myself with listening to their voices.

In addition to birds, other animals also benefit from the strict conservation measures. You could also get close to geckos and frogs, and there was a little sensation called the Tuatara. This lizard is like a small dinosaur because it hasn't changed since then. The animals can live for over 100 years and grow over a meter long.
Fun fact: The young ones (up to 20 years old) have a kind of 'third eye' on the top of their head. Researchers believe that this is specialized for detecting light and warns the lizard when an airborne enemy is nearby.
Other than that, the Tuatara are not very exciting, actually they just lie around all day. If you can afford it...
I still have a large part of the sanctuary to explore and since my ticket is still valid for tomorrow, I will probably go back there and simply - hike.

Today, however, I wanted to accomplish at least one more attraction, and I chose the Parliament.
It takes about 1 hour to walk through the Botanic Gardens to the Parliament buildings and I'm starting to love the gardens. So many flowers and colors and smells - a perfect spot for a picnic.

The parliament complex in Wellington consists of four buildings: a library, the Bowen House (such an ugly glass skyscraper), the actual Parliament building with the House of Representatives, and the Executive Wing (also known as the Beehive).
The latter is the icon of the Parliament, and rightly so. This architectural masterpiece is 72m high and houses all the important halls and offices of the parliamentarians. All tours start from there, and even the regular one-hour tour is free.
Sorry guys, but you're not allowed to bring anything inside: no bags, cellphones, wallets,...
It was quite interesting to be guided through the rooms and pick up a few fun facts. Still, I'll refrain from boring you with all the information at this point.

And suddenly it was already late afternoon. Because I was practically on the other side of the city, the journey back also took a bit longer, and my feet slowly started to complain. So it was high time to head for the sofa!

I don't know what I'll be doing tomorrow, so you're just as curious as I am. Or maybe even more. Whatever. We'll just have to wait and see :) 

PS: I'm running out of ideas for creative headlines - can you tell?