The building itself is a work of art, with the remarkable structure perched looking out over the harbour; a conglomerate of sharp juxtaposed angles and wavy curves. The real intrigue is to be found inside, and the contents spanning just about every subject of the world.
Those curious in history, geology, biology, cinema, society, art architecture and so much more, are catered to here. Prepare to spend a good portion of the day in Te Papa; getting lost is not so much a problem, but an opportunity for discovery. Right now, a brilliant bug exhibit is wowing visitors — the brainchild of Te Papa and Weta Workshop more on them later. Opened to the public in , the trams were first horse-drawn. The following year, all carriages were shifted to cable-based steam power and this remained so until where the much more efficient electric motor was introduced.
On the ascent to the top of the hill, take in the city and harbour sprawled out below. Wellington has earned the reputation of being the hipster city of NZ, and Cuba St is perhaps the stretch of shops and cafes most responsible. Ask anyone what they know about New Zealand, and their answer will likely have something to do with Lord of the Rings, Lorde the person, or The Hobbit. The former and latter association is all thanks to Wellington, or more specifically, Weta Workshop. With endless hiking trails, beaches, and access to the South Island, Wellington has much to offer outdoors.
A quick ride up the Wellington cable car is an easy example of this. Leaving from the heart of downtown Wellington you can be above it all in minutes. From there you can explore a collection of trails or head to Zealandia , a massive acres! This park was a great place to see some of the islands most interesting inhabitants while enjoying a cup of some of the best coffee in the world.
Seriously, Wellington. Now you are just showing off. What was once probably known as a Mecca for nerds, the popularity of the locally produced and filmed Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies has made Wellington super cool. Outside the trolls from the first Hobbit movie greet you. I had no idea the reach Weta has.
They pretty much had a hand in every blockbuster sci-fi flick of the past decade or so. This includes District 9, Mad Max , and Avatar. We got a deeper look inside with the guided tour through the workshop. There you can get a close look behind movie magic and actually hold props created for these iconic movies.
No photos though. To commemorate the year anniversary larger-than-life replicas of certain Anzac members are on display. The Mind blowing detail shows the pain, hardships, and struggles these men and women went through in a way unlike any other.
After a day experiencing the Capital of Cool I retired to my Museum Art Hotel suite — a hotel as cool as the city it resides in. How cool? The collection of art on display ranges from locally commissioned pieces to motorcycles, all open for the public to enjoy. This made it the largest building to move in the southern hemisphere. In May , the former government house and its offices were destroyed by fire. Today, the only visible remnant of the old capital is the well pictured below.
However, its northern location made travel difficult— especially for MPs from the South Island. For them it meant a long sea voyage and time away from home. Image source.
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