We had another sluggish day at sea yesterday and managed only a bit over 6,000 steps. Yesterday was Mothering Sunday, Britain's version of Mothers' Day, and the restaurant offered a special chocolate dessert for all the mothers with dinner. Actually anyone could order it, but it was nice.

The day in Wellington started slowly. I have been fighting off a cold the last couple of days and wanted to take it easy again. We spent most of yesterday at sea just reading and relaxing. I had planned a self-guided walk around Wellington, and we did part of it before tiring out and returning to the ship. Started with breakfast in the Princess Grill before leaving the ship. We took the Cunard shuttle into the center of Wellington driving first through the shipyard containing huge stacks of lumber ready for export. The guide said that these trees (I don't remember the kind) are native to Canada where they mature in forty years. However, in New Zealand they are ready to harvest after only twenty-three years making them a great renewable resource.

We passed by the government buildings including the Beehive which is one that we planned to visit today, but never made it there. The bus dropped us off on Brandon Street where they picked up and dropped off passengers every ten to fifteen minutes all day. One of the Wellington Ambassadors greeted the bus to answer questions. He pointed us in the direction of the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. Go east to the waterfront and turn right to get to the museum.

It was about a twenty-minute walk including stopping to look around occasionally. The waterfront quay (pronounced like "key") was busy with walkers, bikers, and skateboarders. There were signs on the pavement saying that it is everybody’s quay and encouraging sharing the space. That was a fine idea until a couple of bikers came too close for comfort as they sped around us. It reminded me to walk a predictable straight line so the faster ones coming from behind could get around without mowing us down.

Te Papa was interesting and quite large. I found it a bit hard to keep up with the ideas as there was no obvious path to follow to keep the displays in a good order. Nonetheless, we enjoyed them and learned more about the history, culture, and flora and fauna of New Zealand.

By the time we finished visiting the museum, it was after 1:00, and we were ready for lunch. Before we left home, we’d picked out a nearby restaurant that looked interesting and walked to Mac’s Brewbar. Philip ordered a Black Mac which he thought tasted just like State Pen porter. I tried the Spy Valley sauvignon blanc which was okay but overly tart. The sandwiches were good and generously sized.

After lunch, we walked all the way back to the ship. We stayed on the waterfront as long as possible, then followed another couple who looked like cruisers and seemed to know where they were going and were headed in the right direction. It was a two kilometer walk. Both Phil and I passed 10,000 steps on the walk back. By the end of the day, we had over 13,000 steps each which is the most so far on this trip. We did not make our 10,000 step goal the last two days since I was feeling a little draggy, but we have on every other day.

We had dinner alone tonight. Our tablemates had a family emergency and decided to leave the ship early. We also had a new head waiter as ours finished his contract and left for home today.