Day 108-109

Our coach journey to Wellington was not until the afternoon so we headed to Lake Taupo.

We were in shock at the size of the lake as it looked as though we were by the ocean. It takes around 3 hours to cross by boat and is the largest lake in the North Island. Our tummies had started to grumble so we decided on the Pizza Hut lunch menu which was a bargain at $10. Lorna thouoght it was a good idea to do the Pizza Hut Challenge and see how many slices we could eat. Lorna's target was 9 and Al's was 12 slices of large pizza. It was a painful experience but we managed it.

When we arrived in Wellington 6 hours later we just chilled out.

The following day we went into the CBD and went to Te Papa Museum which had some great technologies for children and adults to interact with. This included a house which shook as though you were in an earthquake, interactive pc screens, moving objects and lifting of rock which weighed what it does at the earth's surface and what it would at the core. The Museum cost $317million and has had 9 million visitors since it was built in 1998. Half way around the Musuem we had to evacuate the building due to the fire alarm sounding and we didn't go back in.

Instead we headed into the CBD for a cable car ride to the Botancial Gardens which also gave us a view over Welly, as it is known to the locals. We even decided to have lunch in the gardens due to the great views.

We then went to Parliament House for a tour. Where we learnt that Wellington became capital due to Australia putting the suggestion across as Auckland was to far north for southern Politicians to travel to and it also had a harbour. Due to New Zealand having 15,000 earthquakes a year (only 150 felt by man) the buildings structure was strengthed by new technology designed by New Zealanders, that is now being used in America and Japan. Another interesting fact is that only half of the Parliament building was completed due to the First World War and the flu epidemic. It is also surrounded by the most important buildings in the city.

We headed back into the CBD to collect a bus upto Mt Victoria Summit, where we had a 360degree view of the city.

After such a hectic day we decided to treat ourselves. For dinner we had salmon salad with couscous and quiche, a nice change from pasta.

To finish off we went to the cinema, the film we wanted to watch was not showing so Lorna watched Sex in the City for the girls and Al watched Before the Devil knows you're Dead for the lads. It was the first time Lorna had been to the cinema on her own, but strangely it was Al's second time?!