Into Wellington

We rode from sunny Masterton, south through the Rimutaka Mountain Range.  The drive would have been scenic, but we were kind of in a cloud at the top.  Down we went, into Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.  It sits at the very southern point of North Island, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.  The city itself sits down near the water (Cook Strait), while the homes have been built up into the hillside.  Quite scenic, especially from the top of Mount Victoria, a scenic overlook in the city.  The drive up to that spot was very pretty, like a park.  In fact, some of the scenes of Lord of the Rings were filmed in the very cool and interesting woods there.

Pretty view of Wellington and its Harbor, from Mt. Victoria

John and I, with Wellington down below

We saw the Parliament Executive Office building (called The Beehive because of its unique shape), the beautiful, marble Parliament House, and the more Victorian Parliament Library.

John, in front of the Beehive Executive Office Bldg.

Parliament House and Parliament Library

We also toured the beautiful and unusual Old St. Paul's Church, built in 1866.  It was built entirely of native timbers, and looks like the inside of an old ship's hull.  It's no longer used for regular church services, but is used for weddings and funerals.

Wellington's Old St. Paul's Church

We'll be spending the night in Wellington, our last night in North Island.