New Zealand > The Te Papa museum

When we walk to Wellington’s Waterfront for breakfast, there’s a strong wind blowing through the bay. Wellington is known for always being windy. In a coffee place sheltered from the wind, we order a cappuccino and a sandwich. The sun is shining, but dark clouds hang over the bay. Will it stay dry?We head to the Te Papa Museum to learn more about New Zealand’s history. The museum has free admission. We explore the exhibition about the First World War, in which New Zealanders fought alongside the British in Turkey. We see an exhibition on the animals of the islands, and we view the history and lifestyle of the Maori people. Finally, we visit the exhibition on the migration of people from overseas to New Zealand. The exhibitions are nicely set up, but because of the wide range of topics, the museum feels a bit cluttered.At the harbour, we settle on a terrace for lunch.

New Zealand - The Te Papa museum in Wellington showcases Maori history

On the other side of the bay, we go in search of the Old St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s not so easy to find this old wooden cathedral — it turns out we’ve walked right around it. The cathedral dates back to 1866. The building is no longer used as a church; volunteers maintain it through donations.In the afternoon, we take the cable car up the hill. From the viewpoint, we can see Wellington’s city centre and the bay — a beautiful sight. We’ve chosen to walk back down, which proves trickier than expected. Many streets end at private houses, and only a few pathways actually lead back to the centre. The whole infrastructure of Wellington seems somewhat haphazard. Because the city is built against a hillside, there are many differences in elevation, connected by only a few cross-streets. Sometimes the quickest way is to enter our hotel on the fourth floor on one side, take the lift, and exit at ground level on the other side — saving us a long detour via the street.With some searching, we make it back to the centre. On the way, we didn’t find any cafés or bars to stop for a drink. We therefore end the day back at the Waterfront, in a quiet restaurant. Unlike last night, most terraces and restaurants are very quiet this evening.