Wellington to Masterton

July 16, 2009

Day 3 in Wellington. I got up and tinkered around online for a while, trying to get information about the earthquake from the night before. Yes, I got to experience a 7.8 earthquake. Mind you, it was far away on the South Island but it was definitely felt. I didn’t realize it at the time but I had felt the earthquake while I was at the movies the night before. At some point I thought that someone had kicked my chair. Then about 20 minutes or so later I felt three rolling sensations but again, I didn’t think much of it and definitely didn’t connect it to the earthquake. Only later in the evening when G’s friend had commented about a tsunami warning and the quake did I realize what had happened. Being so far away, it wasn’t as dramatic as the Nisqually quake but it was a much bigger quake… I can now say I’ve been in a 7.8! Woohoo! The best part is that even though it was a big quake, there were no causalities and only minimal structural damage. Is NZ set up for earthquakes? I’d say yes.

Since G lives in central Wellington, she told me that she lives within 20 minutes walking of downtown. I had taken the bus the previous 2 days and tried walking today since it was sunny. It was a nice, pleasant walk into the city. I stopped off trying to decide where to have lunch, looking at my guidebook once again. I settled on a French bistro and couldn’t quite find it so went back to One Red Dog, a pizza restaurant I’d gone to 5 years ago and remembered liking. Once again, it was wonderful. The pizzas were only sold in medium and large sizes so I decided on a salad instead and it was amazingly good. If in Wellington, definitely stop at One Red Dog. I then decided to keep walking to Parliament, which is downtown but quite a walk. I followed the maps and decided to turn onto “The Terrace”, what I thought was just another typical street. Oh my, no. It was a mountain. I took the mountain up and around to the other side and made my way towards parliament.

I finally arrived and saw ‘The Beehive’, one of the landmark buildings of Wellington and aesthetically speaking, quite ugly. Sorry, NZ, but it’s true! It was designed in the 70’s (enough said) and it looks like it was. It’s attached to the older parliament building, which is classical marble and looks like a government building. I walked to the front so that I could look into going on a tour. I signed up for the 2 pm tour, decided to call Raven before going in and realized that I was out of card minutes. She called at that moment and we arranged for her to pick me up at three out front. I then went on the tour. They started us out watching a film about parliament followed by the tour guide asking how many of us were from outside of New Zealand. Only two of us raised our hands, feeling a bit sheepish. I have noticed a lot less tourists this time around and this was no exception. The tour guide took us around to various parts of the building, starting with the inside of the Beehive, where the inside is much nicer than the outside. Thank goodness. The tour guide said that the queen and king of Spain were entertained in the room the previous week. She also said that the artwork on the walls changes as you move along the room and represents the different landscapes of New Zealand. She then walked us out, not letting us see the different landscapes of New Zealand. Then we walked to a selection committee room and she talked about how laws are discussed in these rooms. She also showed us the Maori carvings along the walls and explained their significance. We then headed over to an area that used to be a parking lot but was turned into a lovely room housing Kiwi art. There was a New Zealand flag on the wall that was recovered from the WTC ruins, which caused an audible hush over the group. They then walked us to the house chamber, which I’m sure had more meaning to the Kiwis than it did to me. The tour guide explained that the carpet was green and that was significant because it signaled to the Queen of England that she was not permitted to walk into the room, nor could anyone connected to the royal family. Apparently, the Upper House, which was abolished in the 50’s but still has a room, has a red carpet which is not Queen-proof. There was also a mace stand for a mace that is brought in whenever the House is in session. There are elements that are like Congress and yet pieces that are so very different. She showed us where the ruling party and the coalition members sit as well as where the opposition sits. There were also some seats with thick sheep skin rugs on them. According to the tour guide, that is one accessory that members of the House can have. This enthralled the kids on the tour and their questions about the rugs were relentless. Finally, at 3:05 pm the tour ended and I rushed back down to meet Raven outside. She was waiting for me and ready to go. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that I had to go back to G’s to get my luggage and drop off her key so we were automatically behind schedule. She turned down a road which turned out to be a freeway entrance going away from where we needed to go. There weren’t any turn offs for 4 kilometers so we were even more behind schedule. Oops. We did turn around and we found our way back to G’s where I brought my stuff down and we headed out to Masterton.

Raven and R only live an hour and a half outside of Wellington but there is this windy, narrow road that separates them from the city so it is quite an adventure. There are lots of little white posts tied together by wire and Raven told me that a few months ago the maintenance crew repaired a hole in the posts. They didn’t think to check as to why there was a hole in the fence. A man was missing and they eventually found his car at the bottom of the ravine (where the hole was). Why didn’t they check? Anyway, we did not fall down the ravine and made it safely back to Masterton.

We drove up to Raven and R’s farm where Sesame (their golden lab) wagged her tail in greeting, the cat started meowing and funniest of all, the three sheep started baaing and running to greet her. It was a farm of happy animals. She showed me the sleep out, this amazing little apartment they’ve built next to the barn. It has a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom AND it’s fully insulated and has heat. It is beautiful. She then showed me her house, which used to have a bunch of alpine trim all over the place. I missed the trim but I got to experience the wood stove, a typical kiwi way to heat a home. Raven made dinner and R came home from work. I haven’t seen him in a long time. He helped me get online with an Ethernet connection and we sat down for dinner. I had quite a bit of wine with dinner and was feeling pretty happy by the time the meal ended. We then headed out to downtown Masterton to see a local Kiwi play called “Home Land.” It was the quintessential Kiwi experience as the play took place in the Otago Peninsula and had the main characters trying to warm up by the fire, just like regular kiwis. They even COOKED and ATE the food in the play in a real, working kitchen. The play took place in July 2003 and included news clips of the Iraq War, arguments about the wisdom of going to war and a comment that Bush should be strung up. One audience member clapped when this line was said and that one audience member was sitting next to me. Her name is Raven. LOL!