It was a beautiful sunny day in this capital city known for ferocious wind. Meg had noticed a pie shop a block away from the hotel, so we headed there for breakfast. Meat or vegetable pies are particularly popular in both Australia and New Zealand. Dex and I chose the bacon and egg while Meg and Kylie split a mince and cheese. The pie shop was advertised as the oldest in town, but after tasting my pie, I don't think it was the shop that was the oldest but the pies themselves!
In any event, the Lonely Planet said that the national museum, Te Papa, was a must see, and for that reason today would be a museum day. Just a few blocks away at the waterfront, Te Papa was within easy walking distance.
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| Shark street art |
We did see a ton of neat stuff, and without much effort could have spent days there. Most of the museum is free and includes exhibits on New Zealand culture, history, art, and natural history. We also sprung for the special exhibit called the Bug Lab, created in partnership with Weta Workshop, a special effects studio in town supporting major films.
We spent the first part of the day learning about the geology and natural history of New Zealand. The incredible seismic activity here is caused by the fact that the country lies at the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. It was cool to see simulations of the Gondwana supercontinent breaking apart and shifting around during the last couple hundred million years. (Interestingly, the country was repeatedly referred to as its own separate continent.) It became clearer though why there are so few native land animals here. For much of the time since New Zealand separated from the other continents, it was mostly underwater.
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| The now extinct Moa and giant eagle |
The rest of the day was spent in the bug lab. In it were displays showing the incredible behaviors and amazing abilities to build, fly or defend. One female wasp, for example, can sting a cockroach, make it follow it to a burrow, then lays an egg on it that hatches and eats the cockroach! Many have incredible disguises, either looking like leaves, flower’s or other insects or animals.
Meg and I also spent an hour in the Gallipoli war section. The battle for Gallipoli was a major offensive during WWI where primarily Ozzy and Kiwi troops fought against the Turks with the goal of capturing Constantinople. In the end, the campaign ended in a stalemate and the troops pulled out. Nevertheless, the losses were horrendous.
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| 3X model of WWI soldier |
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| England: Old Lion; New Zealand: Young Lion |
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| Model of Gallipoli war camp |
On the way out of the museum, we saw some people jumping off a platform near the waterfront into an pool-sized section of the harbor. Kylie was a trooper and was ready to give it a try. Once on top of the five meter platform, the cold water temperature was not the biggest concern.
After educating ourselves and a little jumping excitement, we were ready for a quiet evening back at the hotel.
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