Wet in Wellington – Saturday November 28

I hear that this is more the usual Welly weather – grey, wet, blustery. It's not cold though, and there's certainly no snow! Wellington is located at the end of one of NZ's two main islands (North and South Island, doncha know); and borders on an ocean strait between the two. With the power of the ocean surging through that narrow strait, it brings the ocean weather with it.

Do you remember Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, where he wrote of his time during WW II, and how beautiful it always was in that area? Dancing girls, palm trees, coconut, sandy beaches . . . . I think that we must be in a different climate zone here– we are closer to the South Pole here than Fiji, which is further north, closer to the equator, and which I think formed the basis of that particular novel. Anyway, it's not like that here! Though there are palm trees, and many tropical plants, the warm ocean breezes are absent. It's a particular kind of beauty – think of Seattle / Vancouver weather in a tropical setting.

No complaints though – it is lovely to be here, exploring a new city. I went to the Civic Square yesterday – photo attached – you can see that it is a fascinating combination of architecture, from the 20's, and very modern, and informed by the Maori influence. I don't know what the disco ball signifies – it is suspended over the square and catches the light, sending sparkles through-out the square. I wonder if it can be seen from the surrounding hills?

Wellington continues to improve itself as a capital city (Ottawa politicians, take note!). In the central business district where our hotel is located, the national Portrait Gallery, the National Museum (Te Papa), the City museum and many historical markers tell the story of the city and the country. Though we see only a slice of the country, one can get at least an overview and highlights.

Te Papa drew my attention – I visited for an hour or so, just skimming the surface of that wonderful place. It is the best national museum I've seen – highly interactive, with few of the look,but don't touch exhibits. The natural history floor is dominated by a gigantic whale skeleton that hovers of the floor; and watches while visitors ooh and aah over the giant squid (20 feet long); shake and shiver in a little house experiencing an earthquake; jump on a scale to cause an earthquake, and wonder at the volcanic eruptions that have characterized this country since its beginnings. Did you know that the reason NZ has so many earthquakes is that it lies on top of the meeting of two tectonic plates, and as they shift, ever so slightly, earthquakes strike the island – 15,000 of them last year, and one as recent at November 25, just 20 km from Wellington. No, I didn't feel it. Te Papa must be on you list of places to visit - it's wonderful.

Wellington also has a night life – we went last night (Friday) to a Cabaret for the bride's bachelor party. “So Many Men, So Little Time” was a one-woman put on by the bride's friend Jane, who will sing at the wedding today, and who leads the church choir – I think we saw a different side of her last night – hope she doesn't get her songs confused today. It would be quite a shock to hear “I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair” , when the wedding 'order of service' says “I love you truly”. It was fun to meet a dozen of Rosemary's friends, and swap stories. Among the friends, I met one woman who is exploring Facebook, and through it was found by a lover from 40 years ago, whom she met while she was working at the embassy in Italy. Facebook sure makes this world a smaller place.

Rosemary, the bride, formerly attended my church (First United, in Ottawa), when she worked for the NZ embassy in Ottawa in the early 90's – that's the connection between her and Margaret – they were both in the choir – and is how I met her as well. Rosemary is a first time bride – at the age of 60. .Her groom is a Maori lawyer, well-established, well-respected in the country. Now there's a testament to faith in the future. We have few details about the wedding – Rosie likes to keep things under her hat, so to speak. We do know that it's a church wedding, led by a long-time friend of hers; and that there's a reception here at the hotel tonight. Stay tuned for more detail.