Windy Welly

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is called "Windy Welly," for its peculiar local climate and, one presumes, the effluence of its politicians.

We didn't experience particularly bad winds, and came no closer to any hot air than the outside of the British colonial-style Parliament building:


Next door to the Parliament is one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" '70s-modern creations, known locally as the "Beehive," which houses the prime minister's office:


Beyond the government sector you get to the city's commercial downtown, which also is marked by long shopping arcades, but which is much cleaner and more modern than Auckland's:


So far, so blah, and the extensive but poorly signposted botanical garden on the hills above downtown didn't do much to change our minds. But late in the afternoon we stumbled upon a hilly residential neighborhood that looked a lot like San Francisco:


Back down by the harbor, there were little boys diving into the bay on a sunny afternoon:


And in the Cuba Street entertainment district, we found a nice gay bar (see earlier post) and a terrific restaurant, better than any we had visited in Auckland:


So three cheers for Wellington, in the end.