Yesterday's highlight was a visit to Te Papa Tongarewa, a large new museum on the Wellington waterfront. The name literally means container of treasures. Exhibits on NZ's natural environment and cultural history are well designed and spread over 6 floors. Lots of interactive stuff and things aimed at every age level. We took a guided highlights tour with a young docent (paid) who was good. Gerlinde and I went to see the 2 floors of fine arts after the tour, then back to look at some things the tour had skipped. One of my favorites was an interactive map of NZ on the floor. When you stepped on a part of the country, a screen lit up on the closest wall telling you about it. I showed Gerlinde where we had been and where we were going. Especially impressive was seeing the enormous size of Mt Tongariro and surrounding peaks where we had hiked. I also found the exhibit on the impact of humans on the environment really interesting. Comparing maps of the extent of forest and bush pre-human contact (85%), pre-European arrivals (55%), and today (25%) was instructive. I could see goig back and spending lots more time there.
We also visited a weekly craft fair held in an underground garage on the waterfront, had lunch in a Hare Krishna restaurant, and did part of the Wellington Writers Walk. The last is a series of quotations from NZ writers carved in raised letters and set along the waterfront. They weren't easy to find. I think the search is supposed to be part of the experience. I never found Katherine Mansfield, but there's always today. One of my favorites was a slab floating in the water that read:
I saw the Maori Jesus
Walking on Wellington harbor.
He wore blue dungarees.
His beard and hair were long.
His breath smelt of mussels and paraoa.
When he smiled it looked like dawn.
The author is James K. Baxter
Off to see more of the city.
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