The Lamborghini Gallardo was gone the next morning when I emerged from the hostel. For the second day, I decided to explore the eastern part of town, located on the other side of Mt. Victoria. Rather than scale the tall hill, I chose to walk through it via the Mount Victoria Tunnel. The tunnel is 623 metres long, two lanes wide, and opened in 1931, connecting the Hataitai suburb to the city centre. While traversing the narrow walkway, the passing cars began to honk periodically & frequently. Since this was happening in a tunnel, the resulting noises were very loud. I originally thought the drivers were honking because an NZ sports team had won a match but after doing some research several days later I learned that that wasn't the case. Drivers engage in a 'Beeping Game', a local tradition that has existed since WW2, but traces back to when the tunnel opened. Back then, the tunnel was mostly used by pedestrians. The few cars that did drive through had to beep at the pedestrians to get out of the way. Next time, I'll be wearing earplugs.
Once out of the loud tunnel, I walked through the quiet section of the Hataitai suburb near Evans Bay. The layout of the area reminded me of the quiet residential streets with bungalows that I observed back in Nelson. The suburban villas of Wellington are built in the style of 19th century architecture, a characteristic that I find tough to enjoy because I prefer modern/contemporary. Building such a residence in this area would be impossible because it would stick out like an eyesore. If I ever decide to live in Wellington, I will have to build my modern house in another area. There was a lot of sports activity happening at Kilbirnie Park when I walked past it. The green fields were being used for football (soccer) & rugby matches. My guess is that the matches were college related because St. Patrick's College sits just across the street from the park. Then again, I could be wrong and it was a community tournament.
A section of State Highway 1 leading to the airport, called Cobham Drive, is the location of numerous artistic sculptures focusing on the wind. The two most appealing to me are the Zephyrometer and The Urban Forest. The Zephyrometer is a tall orange needle that according to the official description, "embraces a number of marine-type associations [such as] masts, dials, & speedometers . . ." The sculpture was designed by Phil Price in 2003. The Urban Forest is a 2007 sculpture collaboration between Leon van den Eijkel & Allan Brown. The multi-coloured boxes are stacked on three concrete blocks and gradually rotate with the help of the wind.
The Wellington International Airport is situated on a small plateau, similar to the Whitehorse International Airport in northern Canada. Surprisingly, the control tower sits on a small hill surrounded by houses. Planes land & take off over Evans and Lyall Bays. The flight paths cross over main roads enabling you to view arriving & departing planes with ease. In the late afternoon, I walked up a small hill next to one end of the runway and watched airport activity for some time. If I had a hat or umbrella to block the sun, I could have watched planes all day. In between my plane watching, I briefly explored the Miramar neighbourhood. I found a small chip shop to have a light snack. While I ate my chips (french fries), a lone pigeon walked around the store eating crumbs off the floor before being chased away by the shop owner.
As the sun began to set, I walked back towards the hostel but this time traversed over Mount Victoria via Constable Street. I then proceeded north through the shopping/commercial district of Wellington South and into the city centre. Since my brother & I had to wake up early the next morning, we opted for a fast food dinner. My brother chose McDonalds while I decided to try the Noodle Canteen for the first time. I ordered the Mongolian Beef and was surprised by the quality.
On the morning of the 11th, my brother & I checked out of YHA Wellington and took a cab to the airport. Rather than spend 4 hours on a bus to the town of Napier, I had planned for us to hop on a 50 minute flight. The airport was somewhat busy but we didn't have any problems checking in our bags. Passengers go through security at the gate instead of one big area like in many major airports. Surprisingly, we didn't have to be screened, most likely because it was a local flight and the plane was a turboprop. After waiting 20 minutes, we were allowed to board via the tarmac, and another 10 minutes later, we were soaring above Wellington heading north towards Napier.
Overall, Middle Earth's capital is a city that you can't see in just two days. You need at least a week. I walked & saw quite a bit during our short stay and it was quite pleasant. I'll have to come back and explore some more. I should have gone inside the Beehive but chose not to because they don't allow pictures. The best parts were the plane watching & the Lamborghini Gallardo. What can I say? Lamborghini is my favourite car brand & I definitely want one.
To Be Continued . . .
(Post 6 of 10)
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