The Yr 8 Wellington trip 🧑‍✈🪐✈🛝

6AM Arrival:

I woke up with a huge smile on my face, which was surprising considering it was 4:30 am! I got ready into my winter sports uniform, did my hair, then waved goodbye to my family. My dad dropped me off, but on the way we stopped to grab a toasty hot chocolate to wake me up! The car ride took around 25 minutes, so a lot of time for me to wake up. I arrived in the dark, but I could slightly see a group of girls laughing. They turned out to be my class mates, all running towards me like a tsunami of laughing girls! I said my last goodbye to my dad, then I was on my way.

Boarding the Plane :

You could see the excitement throughout the air! We found our seats and got comfortable, talked for a while, then listened to the safety instructions. Then we were off! Taking off from CHCH was one of the easiest flights I’ve ever been on. It was a steady, smooth and enjoyable flight!

Our little green bus:

Once we arrived, we got to explore around the airport for a little while waiting for our bus to arrive. Had a snack, and drank some water, then went on a mission to find our bus. The bus we travelled on was a really cute mini bus! Each seat had a cup holder. The windows were really huge and clear!

Mount Victoria:

Our first stop was at mount Victoria. There were a few steps up the hill, but the view was so worth it! At the top you could see how beautiful Wellington really is. From the city side, to the countryside. There was a cannon just below the top, and the girls and boys separately took funny photos on top of it.

The church:

The church was sooo tall! We entered this massive holy place so quietly you could hear a pin drop. There were outstanding stained glass windows everywhere you looked. Father Ben introduced himself to us while sitting in the two front rows. He talked about the building, how old it is, what the stained glass windows represented and so much more! The church we went to was around 104 years old. Inside there were multiple gently crafted statues that were so tedious. This church was definitely one of the coolest I have been to!

Parliament / Beehive:

This was my first time seeing the beehive in person, and it was humongous! Before walking into the building, we had to do a safety check. Similar to the airplane bag scans and body searches you have to do. Once we were all checked, we made our way to the first room. This room had chairs from left to right, and one big table in the middle. There were so many stairs and windows, doors and people to see! We learnt about the protest, how children can have their opinions in law, That different seats have different meanings. We also got to meet and talk to Ruben Davidson, Reuben Davidson is a New Zealand politician and former television producer who serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Christchurch East electorate. He talked to us about what his job does for our community. I really enjoyed our visit there, I never had been interested in all that type of stuff until after that visit. 

Sushi / Cable car:

It was finally lunch time! We walked probably 1 km to get to the sushi shop. While waiting for our food to be prepared, we sat in the Cable car waiting area because that was our next location. We watched the Cable car come up and down multiple times building up our excitement for our turn. Then suddenly Mrs Gannaway and Mr Gray walked towards us with bags full of fresh teriyaki and katsu rice balls and sushi trays. We brought those bags with us on the Cable car, smelling so heavenly! We sat on the hard wooden seats waiting for take off. We slowly started to move up hill, then we entered a dark tunnel and suddenly a pop of light shone round the Cable car circling around us like magic! It was such a vibrant experience. At the end of the ride, we made it up the top to a mountain and ate our sushi there. I think everyone needed the sushi to refuel their energy!

Space place :

A little while later, we got to experience a cool space museum! Our instructor’s name was Stella, and she was very knowledgeable. She spoke to us for a while and shared heaps of crazy facts. I personally am not a huge fan of space, but that’s purely because I did not know much about it. Did you know you could fit our world into the sun 1.3 million times! After we talked for around half an hour, we got the opportunity to explore a part of the museum. We found parts of the moon, a cinema room, and several interactive objects. Once we finished the exploration, we made our way to the dome. We found our seats and listened to the tour guide, he told us about the echoes, and not to snore or else everyone will be able to hear you, which I found quite funny. We sat back and relaxed, and the movie began. The room filled up with shooting stars! It was the most beautiful thing I had seen all day. I loved how it almost felt 3D, like the planets and stars were creeping towards me. Although it was amazing, it also made me feel a bit dizzy.

Te Papa :

I was truly amazed by how colossal the Te Papa museum was! it is 6 stories tall, and packed with amazing creations. We stepped out of our mini bus and split off into 3 groups, my group included Zara, Despina, Theo, Mitchell and Yanni.

– level 1 was the main entrance, ticketing, visitor information, and introductory exhibits like the Quake Breaker.

– level 2 included major interactive experiences, including the Te Taiao Nature exhibit, the colossal squid, and the Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibition.

– level 3 is full of historical and cultural collections focusing on the environment, change, and early settlement stories.

-level 4 has multiple collections focusing on the environment, change, and early settlement stories.

-level 5 is the home to Art, Te Papa’s dedicated spaces for the national art collection and large-scale sculptural installations.

and lastly level 6 includes function venues, learning facilities, and spaces for rotating short-term exhibitions. I loved how interactive each floor was, it made learning about history things a lot more interesting!

Airport:

We made it to Wellington Airport! But, we were really early. We took our time because there was still an hour and a half until we left to board. We sat on two long tables and ate some subway. I gobbled mine up, it was still warm and toasty! After that we still had quite a while, so we split off and played some games. There was a banana grams table, a quiz table, a card table and a calm talking table. Time flashed by! We went to the bag checking area, found our seats on the plane, and prepared to take off. The trip back home was definitely bumpier than the morning trip, but I enjoyed sitting with Leah and Mrs Gannaway. We looked through the photos taken during the day. Then we tried to ignore the boys sitting behind us ( William, Theo and Yanni ). With a smooth landing home, I couldn’t wait to get picked by my dad and share my adventures with my family!

Overall, I loved Wellington so much, I would love to travel back there for a holiday some day soon!

Have you been to wellington, what was your favourite part?

Wellington by Kiara Iosefo