Wellington

The sun invited us out into a bright blue Wellington morning, making it ideal for climbing up Mt Victoria for views over the city. The short but steep climb brought us to a viewing platform giving 360 degree views over the city and surrounding mountains. The bay glistened as tankers and yachts navigated the waters. The network of streets and buildings sat in contrast with the deep green of the wooded hills.

We returned to street level to stroll along the marina where bird life vied with each other for the possibility of scraps from our lunch. Turning back into the high rising office blocks and shops we took the landmark bright red cable car up out of the small city to the top of the hill and Wellington's botanical gardens. Plaques on park benches reminded us of New Zealand's history as a destination for immigrants as well as refugees. One bench is dedicated to an Austrian couple with a Jewish surname who left Vienna in 1938. Reading this we imagined how frightening Austria would have been in 1938 to the extent that you would travel to one of the furthest destinations in the world.

We walked back to the city through the park with its gardens, cold and silent in the winter afternoon. We passed through a cemetery of old names and dates in marble and stone before coming across the parliament buildings with its 'beehive' architecture. After seeing a number of cinemas and advertisements for film releases, our group realised that we wanted to relive our childhoods and see 'Jurassic World'.

Like when we sat in to watch television the other night, it felt surreal because it was something we might do at home but it was great fun, particularly to do as a group on a winter's night in Wellington. Alex kept humming the theme tune so much that Kim thought she might have to punch him.Read more