wellington

As we sail, the nature around us is stunning. It seems in every direction, there are mountains partly covered by low-lying clouds, or mist rising mysteriously up from the incredibly clear water. It was the last piece of land of any significance to be inhabited by people, who arrived from Polynesia only 700 years ago. Until that point, the place was filled by just the plants and animals, with no natural predators anywhere on the island. The only mammals were bats. As a result, there are loads of weird birds here found only in New Zealand, and the place maintains an empty feel that seems to constantly remind one that until relatively recently, we weren’t here at all.

Thus not surprisingly, the most interesting part of Wellington is the Botanical gardens, which are truly stunning and enormous. Yet Wellington itself, like Auckland, offers little in the way of urban charm. Again, the architecture is a strange mix of glass boxes and older buildings. The natural backdrop is immense, but not enough has been done to integrate the urban planning with the setting. As capitals go, Wellington makes even Ottawa look positively cosmopolitan and sophisticated, it is a provincial (albeit pleasant) backwater. Yet again, the standard of living is high, and many are clearly content with their lot. We had tea next to a couple who confessed to have never travelled to the South Island a few hours away, and who didn’t find this strange (they had been to Melbourne though- twice!). In some ways New Zealand appears to represent what Britain once was, or what some claim it once was: a prosperous and somewhat puritanical country of polite if rather parochial people. People here have easy access to private property. The dream of having a detached home on owned land is within the reach of most, nutrition is good and everything everywhere is user friendly. I ask my father if this is what Britain was like in the 50s and he says in many ways yes, but that Britain was not so prosperous, it was after all the austerity period then, with rationing continuing well into the decade. Hardly a wonder so many left at that time to come here.