Tomorrow, we will be boarding the early ferry from North to South Island, and this morning we take advantage of Upper Hutt's location on the ferry side of Wellington to ascertain its position and to check the embarkation procedure. All is straightforward though the scene in the ferry terminal is chaotic as passengers drop off their rental cars - fortunately, we have chosen a car rental company that allows its vehicles to be taken to South Island. Continuing into Wellington, we park near the modern Civic Square

After exploring this interesting area with its striking metal palm trees, we walk via the 'City to Sea' Bridge, Frank Kitts Park, and Lambton Quay to take the cable-car up to the Botanic Gardens

'City to Sea' Bridge

Frank Kitts Park: an early waterfront redevelopment project

A short cable car ride provides a scenic ride up to the Kelburn district of Wellington, the location for the cable car museum (left) and the city's Botanic Garden

Our walk takes us through several parts of the Botanic Garden as we gradually descend through parkland and ornamental flower beds to the lower part of a huge swathe of green on the peaceful rolling hills above the city. On the flat ground at the city end of the garden we find the Garden Cafe and the Norwood Rose Garden. A fly-past of an Air Force Boeing 727 flanked by two Hercules C-130s forms part of a parade being held in honour of New Zealand's forces returning from peacekeeping duty in East Timor. Our walk continues via the  Begonia House and the Bolton  Memorial Park to the Parliamentary District

The Edwardian Neoclassical Parliament House is flanked by

the Executive Wing - known as The Beehive

Wellington's Parliamentary Library and statue of John Ballance

After visiting the Old St Paul's Cathedral with its stunning wooden interior and fabulous stained-glass windows, we take the 45-minute tour of the Parliament Buildings. A video presentation details the restoration work carried out after a fire in 1992 - work that included the anti-earthquake shock-absorbers that we subsequently see in the basement. Our visit includes the library, both chambers of parliament, and the remarkably decorated Maori Affairs Select Committee Room. We then visit the famous Te Papa, Museum of New Zealand that has a special exhibition on the recently made Lord of the Rings films.

We have a lovely evening meal at an Italian restaurant called  Zico that includes crayfish bisque; grigliata (J), chicken and mushroom risotto (D); tiramisu (J), crepe (D).

Afterwards we drive to the Karori Sanctuary in order to join a dusk-time tour to view and hear kiwis, but the sanctuary is closed. It is getting dark as we return to our hotel