I then walked over to the National War Memorial where there was a special exhibition about the Kiwi participation in WWI. The Kiwis were at Gallipoli as well as the Aussies. It was an extremely well done exhibition but not for the faint of heart. If you’ve seen the movie, Gallipoli, you know that the Aussie and Kiwi troops were slaughtered by the OttomanTurks due to some strategic blunders. Hundreds of Kiwi soldiers died in that battle. The exhibition was time well spent.
Later in the day, I walked over to the Wellington Museum which is not very far away and enjoyed learning about the evolution of the city over the decades. A nice museum if you’re ever here. I did learn that 10 April is a holiday here, Wahine Day, which commemorates a major maritime disaster when an interisland ferry, the Wahine, sank in Wellington harbor resulting in the loss of 51 lives in 1968. Hopefully the ferry crossing tomorrow will be less eventful!
On a happier note, they blocked off the street in front of my hotel both yesterday and today to kickoff Christmas celebrations! There are lots of activities for kids, food booths, music, etc. They are definitely getting in the Christmas spirit down here.
After a delicious breakfast at a local cafe, I strolled around the waterfront some more. It’s a very active place and fun to just walk around.
Tomorrow morning it’s off to Picton on the South Island. It’s about a 3 to 3 1/2 hour ferry ride so hopefully the weather will be cooperative.