April 25th, New Zealand Day 10

This day not only marked our departure from Nelson, but also our departure from the South Island. In Maori myth, the South Island was a boat of a God while the North Island represented a ray that the God had hooked. The North Island does look a little like a ray. Also, this explains why in Maori art a stylized hook is a common item. Other than flying, the only way to get from the South Island to the North Island is via a ferry which goes from Picton to Wellington and this is the path we took.

As we departed Nelson I managed to take some good pictures of the Abel Tasman with its snow-capped peaks. We then made our way to Picton on the South Island and the massive ferry that would take us across the Cook Strait which separates the islands. The ferry ride itself was very interesting as we went through 4.5 meter swells after leaving the Tory Channel. The day before, the same ferry had suffered a power failure in the Cook Strait in 9 meter swells but was guided into port successfully after regaining partial power. Here, my personal wind speed record was again broken. On the open sea there were some good views of the mountains and there was even a dolphin or two that came up along side the ferry. The entire ride took about 3 hours. Interestingly, because of the way the islands are set geographically, for the most part of the trip across the Cook Strait, the ferry is traveling south. In fact, it is entirely possible that you end up further south than where you started although the difference is quite small.

On the other side of the Cook Strait lay the city of Wellington, capital of New Zealand. As the ferry pulled in, the city reminded me of St. John's, NL or even Halifax, NS. Wellington, named after the great British general Lord Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, is the home of the studios responsible for The Lord of the Rings. As we drove through the city, Scott told us of its various aspects. There is a tunnel where 1 radio station owns the airspace and as you enter and exit it, no matter what channel you're tuned to, it changes to that station. We then summited Mt. Victoria which overlooks the city and was used for scenes of leaving the Shire as well as the scene where the Hobbits hide under a log to escape the Nazgul's detection. Also, the background to Dun Harrow, where the Rohirrim camped by the Dimholt Road, is nearby. I managed to capture the city at sunset from the top of Mount Vic, as it's called.

I was then dropped off near the Te Papa (teh PAH-pah) (Our Land) Museum in downtown Wellington. I walked around the city center and made my way to what I really wanted to see, the New Zealand Parliament. It is built in the shape of a beehive and is consequently known as The Beehive. New Zealand changed its election rules a few years ago so that now it has partly proportional representation and it is unicameral (1 chamber). It also is completely centralized in that the various districts of New Zealand do not have governments of there own, as Canadian provinces do. In the photos you'll see that it's a very interesting building. After my little romp in the city, I made my way to our motel where I retired for the night.

Photos are now available at: http://newzealandday10.blogspot.com