Even before we could enter Te Papa, we got distracted by the farmers market in front of the museum at the Warerfront area. It had a mix of trucks selling farm produce, snacks and drinks, and ice cream. The farm produce was amazing to look at, with the biggest vegetables we have ever seen, with cabbages, potatoes and lemons all being very fresh and attractive. If only we didnt have to travel in NZ for another week, we would have packed a tonne of those for our return to Singapore. I understood from my friend that not all stuff is cheaper than in supermarkets, but it was irresistible. We bought some strawberries, bananas and mandarin oranges that were all delicious and sweet.
We walked around the Waterfront to take in the harbour views, and a picture of the Wellington skyline. Wellington is a small and compact city built surrounding the harbour and slowly spreading out. The city itself had a very happazard congested feel, but the harbour view was great and I loved the novelty of crossing a narrow gauge railway track in the middle of a busy road, although it lasted less than a second.
Te Papa museum has multiple levels. Level 1 was very similar to Singapore Science Centre that we frequent, with interactive displays and exhibits. No surprises that the main exhibits were around nature, birds, earthquakes and tsunamis, including a toolkit to earthquake-proof the house. The simulation video on Taupo eruption undoubtedly was the star attraction. The kids spent a lot of time engaged with building an earthquake proof house using lego blocks. The other themed exhibition was on NZ participation in the Gallipoli war in World War I against the Turks, which was very detailed, almost stepping us through what happened every month of the war. it included larger than life sized wax figures of the key personnel involved in the war made by the Waka studio who make movie animations.
We went to two other levels that were operational, including one level dedicated for the Maori culture and artefacts. Their intricate carvings were captivating and their innate connection to nature was evident in all the exhibits, including the Pouanama, the local NZ jade (greenstone). Talking with my friend also enlightened me on the discrimination and oppression faced by the Maoris in the past and how they are struggling to regain their lost glory and pride. The story seemed sadly similar to what other indigenous populations had to go through under colonial rule and afterwards.
The museum also had a nice cafe where we had lunch and spent time reminiscing the past, revisiting shared memories and talking about what we had planned for the future. For people like us used to the creature comforts of city life made even more convenient by the government, staying in NZ with its isolated location and DIY culture seems to be a big challenge in itself.
While my daughter was determined to stay until close at the museum, the rest of us took a nice stroll across the waterfront and spent some time in the park, watching people to some dives and my friend explaining to us about the native flora, putting his horticulture classes to good use. We also enjoyed a bit of the local ice cream flavours, although i couldn't get my hands on BoysNBerry, which is an unique NZ flavour.
On our way back, we stacked up on a few Indian groceries from Newlands before heading back to my friends house for a relaxed dinner and more chat before calling it an early night at 11pm.
Today was as relaxed as it was possibly going to get on this tour, but thoroughly enjoyed it in the company of my childhood friend and his family.
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