Wellington, Te Araroa

I have finally arrived in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington. It is a compact city, bounded by hills on one side and the harbour on the other. The downtown area sits on reclaimed land, and its buildings rise like a mini-Manhattan. The city is one of the principal seaports serving domestic and international shipping, including cruise ships.

Kupe was a legendary Polynesian explorer and tribal chief from Hawaiki. Legend says he was the first human to discover New Zealand and that he stayed in Wellington's harbour around 925 AD. A statue of Kupe can be found on the waterfront. Whatonga was a later explorer who named the harbour Te Whanganui-a-Tara after his son Tara. Whatonga's descendants inhabited Wellington until 1820, when most of them were forced out by other incoming tribes. In 1839, as part of Edward Wakefield's colonisation plans (see postcard 20), his brother, William Wakefield, arrived to purchase land to sell to European settlers.

Concerned that the South Island, where the goldfields were, would choose to become a separate colony from the British Empire, the then Prime Minister proposed to shift the capital from Auckland to Wellington. Centrally located between the two islands with a good harbour, it proved to be a suitable location. Wellington's city status was raised to capital in 1865.

A challenge to living in Wellington is the frequency of seismic activity. The city rests on the point of two tectonic plates: the Australian Plate to the west and the Pacific Plate to the east. The plate movements have created three fault lines: Ohariu Fault, Wellington Fault, and Wairarapa Fault. The Wellington Fault runs through the city's centre, beginning on the floor of Cook Strait, along the western edge of the harbour, and terminating in Woodville. Because of the number of earthquakes, the city is a "leading centre for studying and researching seismic activity and strengthening techniques in buildings."

Going by several nicknames, two of the most common are "Wellywood" and "The Windy City." Wellywood is a combination of Wellington and Hollywood, referencing Peter Jackson's production company WingNut Films and the special effects and prop company WetaWorkshop. Jackson was the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and WetaWorkshop was the movies' set and costume designer. As for The Windy City reference, it is self-explanatory, and it's mainly due to its location on Cook Strait, where the gales blow from the north and the south.

Wellington is known for its coffee scene, having more cafes per capita than New York City. Apparently, the flat white has been perfected here. Ethnically diverse, the city is a melting pot of flavours. Imagine Malaysian rendang, Italian risotto, Korean kimchi, Samoan palusami, or the budding influence of Ethiopian migrants, such as the Doro Wat (a spicy chicken stew).

As a coffee aficionado, I am off to find a strong aromatic cuppa and reflect on my North Island experience. From here, I will board a boat and head across Cook Strait to South Island.