WELLINGTON Wellington is the ‘capitol’ of New Zealand and having that title in a legitimate sense determines a more circumspect synopsis. Wellington, like Canberra is an extremely poor location for a Capitol City. Auckland and Sydney in hindsight were perfectly logical choices but second rate considerations win the day, all in the name of compromise. Wellington is a cold windswept valley that if you took away the ‘house of parliament’ very few people would choose to live there. The government drives the economy. Produces very little but burns money that on the rebound creates ‘wealth’?? Given these decisions of the past have been made Wellington, not unexpectedly is a well catered for city. Wellington was named after the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo. European settlement began with the arrival of an advance party of the New Zealand Company on the ship Tory, on 20 September 1839, followed by 150 settlers on the Aurora on 22 January 1840. In 1865, Wellington became the capital of New Zealand, replacing Auckland, which William Hobson had established as the capital in 1841. The population of Wellington was then 4,900. Auckland at the time had exceeded 100,000. Wellington is home to a number of museums including and among others Te Papa (the Museum of New Zealand), the Museum of Wellington City & Sea, the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Museum, the New Zealand Cricket, and Old Saint Paul's. The following photos give a feel for the essence of Wellington. The buildings, monuments and hotels give a feel for the modern Wellington. The National War Memorial is nice but does not meet the quality of many an offering in the country cities or Auckland. The new Anglican St Paul’s Cathedral is a disaster and the old is yet to be ‘de-commissioned’ because of the universal dislike of the new.   Allow a week to absorb and enjoy the capitol of New Zealand