All of the participants of our October Wearable Arts Short Break returned a little tired after an unforgettable three days full of highlights.
Friday saw our early arrival and start to our trip in Wellington and our first visit of the day was a preferential entry to Te Papa Museum to see the Gallipoli “The Scale of our War“exhibition. This was an emotional experience, viewing, reading and listening to the story of ordinary New Zealanders who were there, their personal triumphs and tragedies of the 8 month campaign.
After lunch in a typical Wellington blustery NW wind we visited Government House for a most interesting tour through this grand home, followed by an informative walk around the grounds and gardens with Morag, the head gardener; however the wind did not deter our interest in the least.
Saturday was a magical Spring day, calm with lots of sunshine. We travelled to Te Horo where we all enjoyed a spontaneous visit to ”Lavender Creek Farm” and a little retail therapy before meeting with Ruth Pretty. Ruth spent time showing us her herb garden and giving us many tips on how to grow and use them before we met with chef “Jamie” for a cooking demonstration followed by a scrumptious lunch including whitebait fritters.
On our return journey to Wellington our local coach driver Garry was proud to show us the best scenery the Kapiti area had to offer. We finished our day with the focus of our visit, the WOW show, which “wowed” us completely. It was another world class spectacular performance of talent, creativity and colour.
On Sunday morning we met with David Sole, the General Manager of the Wellington Botanic Gardens, who proudly walked us through these beautiful gardens which were at their Spring best, especially the magnificent tulip gardens. David has a team of passionate and innovative people who are always looking ahead to the future, notably the project for an interactive children’s garden, the purpose of which is to encourage the next generation to appreciate the gardens and have fun at the same time. The “Friends of the Gardens” is currently raising money to help with the building of this project.
Thank you to all participants for making this another memorable tour, and we look forward to repeating this tour again next year.
Gail Scrivener Tour Manager