We saw a remarkable presentation at the Carter Observatory today, called "We Are Astronomers." What we saw was a 45-minute fabulously produced video on space, including all that stuff that's out there and our Milky Way Galaxy. We learned how astronomers and scientists today collaborate via the Internet on the vast amount of research and data being gathered to better understand the universe. It was this group, by the way, who envisoned and launched the creation of the Internet for them to use for their work, and all of us to enjoy. All the info was a little over-whelming to say the least. We got a better explanation of the Big Bang Theory than both Stan and I had ever encountered before. It made sense. Then we enjoyed another 45-minute live presentation from a young scientist who walked us through star-gazing and finding our way around the constellations. Both the video and the presentation were shown in a theatre that featured reclining seats and a 360-degree screen inside the the observatory dome. The sky and the space shots seemed very realistic! It just so happens that our guide was performing a university intership here at the Observatory and was from Colorado Springs, CO, USA (America!).

All this was quite coincidental since Stan and I did a bit of star-gazing in the little garden of our apartment just last night. We took a bottle of wine up to the tiny grass plot, sat ourselves down, turned on music from my iPhone and proceeded to enjoy the night sky. It was a very wonderful evening.

I digress! Ok, back to today! After the Observatory, we walked down that big ole hill once again on a marked, paved walkway and multiple steep stairways behind people's back-yards to the city, voila! to visit the Te Papa Museum. Wow! Wow! Wow! This is a fabulous, very relevant museum. The museum itself is an example of great design. It is very large and spacial, modern, and constructed primarily of marble. This amazing facility focuses, of course, on New Zealand, its natural history, its flora and fauna, its culture but then it brings you up-to date with what it is today. It was very educational, very entertaining and highly well done!

Tonight, we must pack. Time to move on to Auckland. I think we will miss Wellington, this little jewel down under.