4/7/26: Wellington's Sculpture Trail, Gallipoli, & Cuba St.

While Steven continued to rest after our long flight from Fiji, I hit the deck running, not wanting to waste a moment to explore New Zealand's capital city of Wellington. Located on the southern tip of the country's North Island, it seized the honor of being the capital from Auckland in 1865. Not content with political dominance, it's also considered by many to be the cultural capital, with its collection of many free-to-enter museums, vibrant arts scene, galleries, and other attractions. Its best feature is that most everything is within walking distance from the heart of the city.

My goal was a leisurely stroll while heading toward Te Papa, aka the Museum of New Zealand. Steps from our hotel was Protoplasm, described as a kinetic sculpture. 

The roof of the AMP building, constructed between 1925 and 1928, was adorned with the "Amicus" statue group, featuring the motto Amicus certus in re incerta. I know my high school Latin teacher, Mrs. Harwood-Jones, would have been proud of me if I had known that it meant "A certain friend in uncertain times," but I needed help!

Around the corner was the Wellington Museum housed in the historic Bond Store, a 1892 building originally used as a bonded cargo warehouse. I snatched a look but didn't explore it any further. 

I've had a fondness for looking at playgrounds when we travel, as I've been instrumental in planning four in our neighborhood parks over the past 30 years. This one caught my eye with its eye-popping lighthouse and massive slide!

As an architecture buff, I always have one eye open for unusual building designs. It looked like Wellington was going to impress me.

The Albatross sculpture:

As I walked along the waterfront, I passed the Whairepo Lagoon, formerly known as Frank Kitts Lagoon, and the Boatshed, a historic building constructed in 1886 for the Star Boating Club.

The Kupe Statue commemorated the legendary Polynesian explorer Kupe Raiatea, who is credited with discovering New Zealand, his wife, Hine-te-aparangi, and the priest Pekahourangi.

Built in Paisley, near Glasgow, Scotland, the SS Hikitia was a self-propelled floating steam crane, capable of lifting an impressive 80 tons. The  83-day unassisted delivery of the Hikitia, which sailed for Wellington in September 1926 via the Azores, through the Panama Canal, and Tahiti, was believed to be the longest voyage ever undertaken by such a vessel.

It immediately unloaded steam locomotives and rolling stock, salvaged ships wrecked in the harbor, and shifted shore cranes from wharf to wharf. It is believed to be the last fully operational floating steam crane in the world.

Solace in the Wind depicts a nude figure leaning precariously over the dockside, symbolizing the city's notorious wind.

Further along the wharf:

Per Capita was designed as a four-piece puzzle representing the diverse histories of New Zealand's population. 

I liked how the Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre looked more like an innovative art museum than a 'conventional' convention center.

Circa Theatre, situated on Wellington's waterfront, next to the Te Papa Tongarewa museum, was established in 1976 and stages a wide variety of drama, dance, and musical performances. Its façade was from the historic 120-year-old Westport Chambers. 

The Wellington Sculpture Trust showcased a biennial plinth project, a temporary sculpture award outside the museum. Just weeks before we arrived, Big Flowers for a Wild City made its debut as the tenth artwork commissioned for the plinths by the Trust.

After a circuitous route, I finally arrived at the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum and found Steven, who had arrived via Uber! Considered one of the world's leading interactive educational institutions, its name roughly translates to "box of treasures." The 70,550-ton 'box' is nestled on rubber and lead shock absorbers that allow it to safely move up to 20 inches in any direction during an earthquake. It also claimed to have enough reinforcing steel to stretch all the way to Sydney, Australia!

We headed first to the oversized Gallipoli Exhibit, a military campaign in the First World War on Ottoman Turkey's Gallipoli Peninsula, now Gelibolu. On the morning of April 25,1915, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula as part of a land-based element of a larger strategy to defeat the Ottoman Empire, which had sided with Germany in the war. Over eight months, the ANZACs, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, gained little more than the positions they had taken on that first day of the landings.

I was particularly struck by how the horrors of the campaign were told through the lives of some of its courageous participants. As each was portrayed twice the normal size, the exhibit had a visceral effect unlike any other museum we've toured. 

Lieutenant Spencer Westmacott, 29, one of the first New Zealanders to land on Gallipoli on April 25th, was "itching to take on" the Turks because the consensus was "they wouldn't be much trouble." However, after his right arm was smashed by a bullet while holding off a Turkish attack, he was evacuated that night. He later wrote, "So ended the most glorious day of my life."

When Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fenwick, 45, one of the first NZ doctors landed ashore, he treated hundreds of Anzacs on the beach in the next "god-awful 24 hours." Though he'd served in South Africa 15 years before, Gallipoli was a different war. After endless hours of treating the sick and wounded had taken their toll, he was shipped out, ill and exhausted, two months later, a lifetime in Gallipoli terms. 

Private Jack Dunn, 28, was a keen athlete who had rushed to enlist with his brother and served as a machine gunner. Despite being fitter than most, he caught pneumonia after the first brutal month of fighting, fell asleep at his post, and was sentenced to death for endangering his unit. As he had been "unflinching in the face of fire," his superior officer eventually took his reputation and illness into account and sent him back to the front line.

In the middle of the exhibit, museum visitors were asked these thought-provoking questions and were asked to write their responses. "If you knew you might never make it home, what would you miss most? What would you say to your loved ones?" 

Staff Nurse Lottie Le Gallais, 33, was a military nurse on board the hospital ship Maheno, which set out from Wellington in July 1915. She'd hoped to meet up with her brother, who was stuck on Gallipoli. Sadly, their lives never crossed. All her letters to him came back to her in November with an official black stamp that read, "Killed, return to sender."

I found the statement by Kemal Atatürk, Commander of the Turkish 19th Division at Gallipoli, and founder of the Turkish Republic in 1934, particularly stirring. "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... are now lying in the soil of a friendly country ... and are in peace ... They have become our sons as well."

These memorial stones are from the sea at Anzac Cove, the waters that drenched the soldiers on landing, and where they swam and washed their clothes and wounds. The Turkish government presented the stones in 2004 to the first New Zealand unit to land on Gallipoli, who were among the last to leave. 

After eight months of desperate fighting and no military gains, the British Chief of Staff recommended evacuating troops. By January 20, 1916, all Allied personnel had withdrawn. The Gallipoli Campaign, which cost the lives of almost 11,000 Anzacs, ended in a military defeat for the Allies.

Before leaving the heartwrenching exhibit, visitors were invited to cleanse themselves with water "to release the heaviness of the exhibition." Too bad that other museums don't share that brilliant idea either.

The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document of modern New Zealand, which is also known as Aotearoa. Dealing mostly with trade, it was signed by representatives of the British Crown and more than 500 indigenous Māori chiefs. What is significant is that the treaty's English and Māori versions differ in critical ways, because the document's hasty translation and the British wish to encourage the Māori to sign contributed to misunderstandings and grievances over time. 

For example, the English version grants the Queen of England sovereignty or supreme rule over the country, while the Māori version grants the Queen kawanatanga, meaning governance. Another example is that the English version promises Māori undisturbed possession of their lands, forests, estates, and fisheries, but the Māori version promises Māori tino rangatiratanga or absolute sovereignty. 

The official English version of the Treaty of Waitangi was hung opposite the official Māori version, but an activist group damaged the contested document in late 2023 with spray paint and an angle grinder because the English version didn't accurately reflect the Māori version. 

One of the museum's treasures was its marae, a carving-adorned Māori meeting house used for social, cultural, and spiritual gatherings, such as welcomes and funerals.

Beside it was an unusually large and elaborate pātaka, a magnificent storehouse, part of the proud heritage of one of the Arawa tribes from Rotorua on the North Island. It was a symbol of wealth and power and was used to store food and, often, the valuables, tools, and weapons considered essential to a tribe's survival.

I was curious to see the pounamu or greenstone exhibits, as the stone is found mainly on the west coast of the South Island, which Steven and I would be visiting several days later. Considered the most treasured stone in the Māori world, it is featured in the earliest accounts of discovery. Over time, the rare, beautiful stone pounamu tools, weapons, and adornments became the Māori's greatest expression of pride, prestige, and lasting quality. Hint: remember pounamu for later posts!

Hōpō or albatrosses have always been important to Māori as food and spiritual nourishment. Ancestors tested young men's skill, strength, and courage by sending them off to offshore islands to capture hōpō chicks from towering, rocky cliffs. Now, the main complex of the marae resembles a hōpō with outstretched wings.

A waka generally means a large, carved war canoe in New Zealand. This massive 30-meter waka, called Ngātokimatawhaorua, was launched on the Waitangi waters in 1940, shortly after it was carved. Hint: remember waka for later posts!

Another waka, Teremoe, once belonged to two leaders who were involved in battles in the 1860s against the Pākehā, a Māori-language term for New Zealanders of European descent, specifically non-Polynesian peoples. 

Teremoe was also involved in the pursuit of the guerrilla leader Te Kōti Arikirangi in 1869 when both supporters and opponents of the colonial government collaborated to drive him out of the region. It also served in peacetime as a carrier of goods and people. 

I thank my lucky stars that we have never felt what it's like to experience an earthquake. But the chance to be in a simulated 6.3 quake in the museum's Earthquake House was something I didn't want to pass up. Only a few people could witness the quake at the time by watching a film of a mom and child caught in a quake, and we 'experienced' the same shakes and tremors as they did. We 'felt,' 'heard,' and 'saw,' as things around us in the house tumbled to the floor.

The 'fake quake' had the same intensity as the one that hit Christchurch on the South Island in February 2011.

Before leaving the museum, we couldn't resist seeing the world's largest specimen of a rare colossal squid! The only complete one on display in the world was caught in the Southern Ocean in Antarctica in 2007. It measured 4.5 meters long, weighed 500 kg, and its eyes were 27cm across, the largest of any known animal!

The museum touted its rooftop deck, but we weren't overly impressed, as there were only partial views of the city and no indication of the sights that were visible from the roof. By comparison, the rooftop deck we saw in Perth, here in Western Australia, took the cake as far as I'm concerned, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We couldn't help but get a kick out of the Māori warrior pedestrian traffic lights, special, artistic signals that depicted figures celebrating Māori culture! The red light showed a warrior performing a haka to mean "don't walk." It was exciting waiting to see a wahine or woman performing poi or a similar action. The only problem was that the green light only lasted a few seconds before turning to red, so you had to hurry across when the light turned green.

The Michael Fowler Concert Centre was another exciting venue from an artistic point of view.

We headed next to Cuba St., a colorful pedestrian-only street filled with unique and independent shops, quirky cafes, and fun artwork. One of the latter was the Philanthropist's Stone, which featured a tall blue Corinthian column topped with a large, gold-plated bronze nugget and hand-blown glass lights designed to look like candles. The artwork commemorated the country’s gold rush history and a noted philanthropist.

The historic Old Bank Arcade & Chambers:

The street, named for a New Zealand Company immigrant ship, was originally laid out in 1841. A huge fire in 1979 destroyed almost every building in the street and led to a shift away from wood in commercial buildings. Trams ran first up and down Cuba St., beginning in 1874 with steam power, followed by horse-drawn, and finally electric in 1904.

After the last tram ran in 1964, the tracks were removed, and the street was closed off to vehicular traffic, becoming the first street in New Zealand to be a permanent pedestrian mall.

Max, this is for you, sweetheart!

Another reason to stroll down Cuba St. was the chance to combine some art appreciation with sightseeing, as we wanted to explore more of the city's Sculpture Trail. The whimsical Bucket Fountain was a kinetic sculpture that regularly splashed unsuspecting passersby! Labeled a monstrosity by many in 1969, it has since won over locals and visitors with its quirkiness and childlike innocence!

Steven was tired and preferred to rest by the Bucket Fountain while I went off in search of some other sculptures further up the mall.

As my attention was also drawn to other noteworthy buildings and murals, I was gone longer than I intended.

I was astonished by the number of buildings inspired by the Art Deco movement.

The Trekkers Hotel:

Friends in Denver know of my love for English-made Portmeirion china, so wouldn't have been surprised to know I had to look at this shop's collection!

Just off the end of Cuba St. was A Subject to Change, which comprised the skeleton of part of a historic home.

At Wellington's Rainbow Crossing on Cuba St., a sign said, "In the capital, we walk the talk when it comes to celebrating diversity. Show your support ... and glide with pride across our rainbow."

The new Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library ...

... and the old library were only a few feet apart, with both connected by the wonderful Civic Square, the city's main public plaza.

Straddling the square and the waterfront was the City to Sea Bridge, a pedestrian walkway built following a competition to come up with a way of linking the city and the sea. The crossing was decorated with Māori carvings and carvings.

Together we strolled along the waterfront promenade that I had walked hours earlier by myself.

Unfortunately, we missed seeing the Water Whirler in action on the promenade. At certain times, it spins and flings water to create hypnotic 3D patterns!

We stopped for a few minutes at the Queen's Wharf, the hub of waterfront activities in Lambton Harbour. Completed in 1862, it was the government's first major port facility in Wellington. It was built on 167 meters of reclaimed land to provide deep-water facilities for the increased shipping traffic.

Paddy the Wanderer Fountain was a memorial on the wharf to Paddy, undoubtedly Wellington's most famous and beloved pooch. The remarkable dog wandered the wharf, rode on ships throughout the country, and even as far as Australia. I read that he even flew in a two-seater plane, was picked up by taxi drivers, and tram operators as he wandered the city. When he died in 1939, hundreds came out for his funeral. 

On the way back to the hotel, we saw but didn't have the energy to stop at the supposedly excellent New Zealand Portrait Gallery.

The Old Bank Arcade was like a throwback to a bygone era.

Just steps from our hotel was Invisible City, a sculpture that consisted of two gleaming, vertical stainless steel slabs positioned at an oblique angle to each other. The surface was covered in oversized Braille dots that formed a poem by the blind poet Peter Beatson.

I hope I was able to convey how attractive we found Wellington and how excited we were to explore more of the city.

Next post: More of wonderful Wellington! It may be close to two weeks before I can post anything, however, as Steven and I leave Broome tomorrow for an exciting small-ship cruise off Australia's northwest coast.

Posted on May 8th, 2026, from Broome in WA, where we've had compelling, planned interactions with Aboriginal people, so we could learn about their culture firsthand. Unfortunately, we've also had other excursions canceled due to a combination of weather and the extreme cost of fuel worldwide. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.