Tag Archives: Majestic Princess

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Arriving into Napier


Napier, North Island, New Zealand

Wellington, on New Zealand’s South Island, is where our two cruises diverged. Our 2020 cruise departed South Island and headed back to Sydney, Australia. But our 2019 voyage aboard Majestic Princess headed to North Island, with our first stop being Napier.

Pretty Birdie

So, for the rest of this series on New Zealand, I’ll be concentrating solely upon our 2019 voyage aboard Majestic Princess. And as for today’s article, most of the photos you see today were taken along a stretch of beach extending from the National Aquarium of New Zealand, through the Napier Reef Garden, past the Sunken Gardens, and into town.

Forlorn Branches

First up is some of the statuary found outside the National Aquarium of New Zealand:

National Aquarium of New Zealand statuary

Heading north from the aquarium takes you first to a rather picturesque water feature replete with birds, at least on this occasion:

Water feature by the National Aquarium

We continued northward on foot, taking in the sights along the beach. And there were a lot of sights along this stretch:

Resting upon the driftwood

There was a lot of driftwood in this area, including some bizarrely shaped intrigue such as this “duck”:

The “Duck”
A pirate seagull — one leg

As we made our way toward the Sunken Gardens, which we’re going to save for next Monday, we came across a wooden “whale skeleton” structure of impressive size:

Whale Skeleton

We’ll head back and cover the Sunken Garden next week. On Wednesday we’re going look at some interesting Victorian architecture known as the Six Sisters:

The Six Sisters

Then head into town. But for now I’ll leave you with a preview of what to expect in downtown Napier:

“A Wave in Time” — half of a set

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Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating New Zealand; Wellington Favorites 3


Bolger Park

And here are today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Wellington:

White on Green with a Splash of Yellow
Cenotaph
Rosy Red
Wellington Reflections
Seddon Memorial at Bolton Street Memorial Park

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Circumnavigating New Zealand — More Buildings, and more flowers


Wellington Cenotaph base

The area around the Wellington Cenotaph is home of a lot of neat imagery. To get there, along Bowen Street, take the segment of the City to Sea Walkway that leads from the Wellington Botanic Garden. Along this route you’ll pass the Bolton Street Memorial Park, formerly known as the Bolton Street Cemetery:

Bolton Street Memorial Park along the City to Sea Walkway

Past the cemetery, almost directly across the street from the Beehive, lies Turnbull House. It houses the private library acquired by famed bibliophile Alexander Turnbull during his lifetime:

Turnbull House

We’ve already taken a look or two at the Wellington Cenotaph, but here’s a zoom-in of the horse and rider atop the monument:

Wellington Cenotaph

Across the street from the Cenotaph are the Old Government Buildings, which house some interesting architectural details:

Old Government Buildings on Lambton Quay

Now for another Wellington Botanic Garden flower show:

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