Wednesday 11 January 2017

Wellington

Brunch at Pondoro on Willis and Bond. Eggs Benedict and tea $21(€15) . The  restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch but the fare was excellent. 

Our next port of call was Isite , where we booked a shuttle to take us from the Railway Station at Auckland to the airport - an hour' s journey. 

Subsequently, we visited Civic Square, it is such a beautiful concept: 


   The Old Library now The Art Museum 


            The modern Library. 
and 


                   The Civic Offices

We entered the library- what an impressive place - three floors beautifully laid out with plenty of seating - from cosy arm chairs to desks with internet access. 


The Mezzanine entrance was guarded by a sculpture made from a World War 1 tank that took part in the Battle of the Somme. 



The Kiwis lost heavily in the two WWs and continue to remember their dead. In each and every town is a memorial inscribed with the names of those who died in the service of their country. 

We quittedthe Library and went to visit the former bank now arcades of specialist shops. 



I then wished to get z last view of Wellington Harbour. The harbour was deserted as the wind was blowing s gale - not unusual in our experience of Wellington. 



The waterfront has been transformed as the old warehouses have been converted sympathetically into apartments, restaurants ( it is said Wellington has more restaurants per head of population than NYC) and shops. 




Along the harbour are plaques commemorating various facets of NZ history, including a plaque commemorating the Irish contribution to Wellington. 


On I ploughed , holding the railing in case Mary Poppins like I rose into the sky!!  
All the shops were closed and the restaurants wore an abandoned aspect.  


 I arrived at Te Papa and from there retraced my steps back over the unusual bridge 


that crosses the motorway and into the Civic Square again   From there I returned to the hotel.  

With a 755am start tomorrow, we're eating locally tonight - back to the Belgium pub we ate in on the first night here.......

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