John's Hop on, Hop off City Tour: here is a list of our 18 stops
On Friday, after school drop-offs, Caroline and I took Brian and Glinda into Wellington to take a city tour. It was a great tour on a van that allowed you to "hop on, hop off" at any one of 18 sights. Our driver was great and from Wellington so he was very familiar with the sights, back roads and had some nice stories. It took him a while to warm up but once he got going it was really nice.
We started at the visitor center and chose to stop at Mt. Victoria Lookout, Cable Car/Botanic Garden and Old St. Paul's Church. The van runs at hourly intervals so you just figure out how long you want to stay at the chosen sight and pick up a van en route to the next stop. Really convenient!
Tourist, City guide & Chauffeur :) I had so much fun taking Brian and Glinda around to our favorite places and enjoyed all our time together!
Because my camera auto focuses when it wants to, I have to be ready for manual focus at any moment. Here I was trying to photograph our van and driver but was just a little too slow on the draw.
Caroline did great on the van. She was a touring machine!
Mt. Victoria - best overlook of the city
Great picture of Mimi and Papaw with CB. The minute she got to the top, she took off her crocs, refusing to put them back on.
Waiting patiently for her lunch...a big bowl of fruit. We had a wonderful lunch at the Botanic Garden cafe. By the time we got to the cafe, we were hungry from all our sight-seeing and ready to eat.
I just can't believe how much CB's hair has grown since we first got here and how curly it is! It's still a mystery as to where she and MaeMae got their curly locks.
The van dropped us off at the top of the gardens. You can ride the cable car, Wellington's oldest and most popular tourist site, down to Lambdon Quay and back to the top. We skipped the cable car because of time and chose to walk down the hill through the gardens instead. It turned out to be a lovely walk and there were still flowers in bloom.
A fab playground rests in the middle of the gardens and Caroline and Papaw had a fun go on the tall slide! Wheeee!!!
Ahhh!!! Watch out Papaw!!!
A dense herb garden
Old Saint Paul's Church
"Old St Paul's is a fine example of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture adapted to colonial conditions and materials. Designed by the Reverend Frederick Thatcher, then vicar of St Paul's parish Thorndon, the first Anglican cathedral of Wellington is considered his best work.
Constructed entirely from native timbers, the glowing interior is enhanced by stunning stained glass windows. Memorial items and displays tell the early history of Wellington.
No longer a parish church but still consecrated, Old St Paul's remains a place of spiritual significance to many and is living testimony to one of New Zealand's greatest heritage battles. It is a well-loved venue for weddings and other services, concerts, recitals and many other cultural events.
Old St Paul's is one of New Zealand's most important historic places, and is a magnificent example of timber Gothic Revival architecture. The building was erected in 1866, the second Anglican church in Thorndon."
The Beehive
"The ‘Beehive’ is the popular name for the Executive Wing of the parliamentary complex because of the building’s shape. This is where the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers have
offices, and where the Cabinet meets."
After our wonderful city tour we made it just in time to pick up Calvin from school. My friend, Jude, picked up Mary Katherine from kindy so we had a few extra hours to see the sights. The kids had a great time showing Mimi and Papaw their schools and playgrounds.
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