AirVenture 2007

The Botanical Gardens are on the side of a hill, overlooking the city.

We missed the peak bloom but it was still good.

A model of one the big ocean-going Polynysian catamarans.

New Zealand was originally covered by trees. The Maoris deforested about 45% of the islands and then the European settlers cleared the rest. Driving through the flat areas that are mostly farmland, it's hard to believe that it once was all trees.

I like Tigers, the largest of the cat species and an Apex Predator -- a predator with few to no predators of their own -- along with great white sharks, killer whales, grizzly bears, bald eagles, and of course the greatest apex predator of them all, the human.

We dropped Maggie off at the airport -- she flew back to Auckland for work next day -- and then checked into our Bed & Breakfast on the east side overlooking Worser Bay. For most of the rest of the trip we would be staying in B&Bs which we prefer over hotels and motels. Talking with the B&B hosts would be a valuable part of our New Zealand experience.

Our schedule had us in Wellington the next day as a base for exploring the wine country to the east. Unfortunately the weather turned nasty on us and it rained most of the day.

So, we explored Wellington further. We started off by taking the Cable Car to the top of mountain overlooking Wellington.

As you can see, the weather is not the best.

We walked down the hill and checked out the New Zealand Parliament Buildings. The Parliament House is the big, grey building in the center and contains the debating centers and committee rooms.

We checked out the Wellington City & Sea museum which was small but interesting.

Lynnette and I drove out to the Wine Country but it looked like this.

Day 5 - Wellington, North Island
It was a only a two hour drive from Palmerston North to Wellington, New Zealand's capital city. We started our exploration of Wellington by visiting the Botanical Gardens.

The Botanical Gardens are on the side of a hill, overlooking the city.











Overlooking the rose garden.

We missed the peak bloom but it was still good.



Inside the orchid house.









Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand, is a must-see in Wellington. It's a state-of-the-art, interactive museum with lots of open space as opposed to the more classic Auckland Museum. Both compliment each other nicely.

This Tiger Moth hung overhead.


As a history buff, I liked this display of how the south pacific islands were settled. New Zealand was probably the last place on earth to be settled. It might surprise you to know that Hawaii was settled earlier -- 1,200 years ago -- than New Zealand which was only settled 800 years ago, around 1200 AD.

A model of one the big ocean-going Polynysian catamarans.

New Zealand was originally covered by trees. The Maoris deforested about 45% of the islands and then the European settlers cleared the rest. Driving through the flat areas that are mostly farmland, it's hard to believe that it once was all trees.

This is one of the actual cannons that Captain James Cook dumped overboard from the H.M.S. Endeavour when he was stuck on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia in 1770. Cook was the first European to extensively explore New Zealand's coast in 1769.

After the museum, we had some time to kill before dropping Maggie off at the airport so we checked out the Wellington Zoo.

Fake Tiger.

Real Tiger. I like Tigers, the largest of the cat species and an Apex Predator -- a predator with few to no predators of their own -- along with great white sharks, killer whales, grizzly bears, bald eagles, and of course the greatest apex predator of them all, the human.

I don't know that I've ever seen a Kangaroo before.



A Cheetah, fastest cat on the planet.

Female Lion giving me the look.


The national symbol of New Zealand -- the Kiwi Bird -- is inside this shack where its dark. It's a flightless, noctural bird so I couldn't take a picture.

We dropped Maggie off at the airport -- she flew back to Auckland for work next day -- and then checked into our Bed & Breakfast on the east side overlooking Worser Bay. For most of the rest of the trip we would be staying in B&Bs which we prefer over hotels and motels. Talking with the B&B hosts would be a valuable part of our New Zealand experience. Our schedule had us in Wellington the next day as a base for exploring the wine country to the east. Unfortunately the weather turned nasty on us and it rained most of the day. So, we explored Wellington further. We started off by taking the Cable Car to the top of mountain overlooking Wellington.


As you can see, the weather is not the best.

We walked down the hill and checked out the New Zealand Parliament Buildings. The Parliament House is the big, grey building in the center and contains the debating centers and committee rooms.

The "Beehive" is the executive wing of the Parliament builings. The New Zealand Prime Minister's office is here, along with Cabinet room, and the National Crisis Management Center is in the basement.

The Parliamentary Libary, oldest of the three buildings.

We walked along the waterfront and had a nice lunch -- hot seafood chowder was perfect for a rain day.

We checked out the Wellington City & Sea museum which was small but interesting.

During World War II, the famous U.S. First Marine Division arrived at this very spot in May 1942 for assembly, training and preparation for the battle of Guadalcanal where they landed on August 7, captured the airfield, and fought the Japanese until relieved in December.

Lynnette and I drove out to the Wine Country but it looked like this.

And all the wineries were closed.


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Day 5 - Wellington, North Island