While Mike is at the University giving talks and such, the rest are off touring Wellington. Our nanny Karin has a remarkable knack for signing up for tours and activities where she is the only one. It has rubbed off on us (our first tour together was at Hobbiton, when there was one other participant, a rather confused looking Japanese lady who clearly had gotten on the wrong bus). So naturally today, the only people on the tour were Ilona, Karin, and Alexander. The gale-force winds might also have had something to do with the crowd.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, of course, but the government has a pretty small footprint. Security is minimal, and it is apparently pretty common to board a plane and sit next to the Prime Minister (in coach: you would think she would have the frequent flier miles to upgrade). It is a nice enough town, in that rather awkward mix of architectures that seems to characterize most larger towns of New Zealand: the 70s were unfortunate for the country. See, for instance, the "Beehive" which is the country's Parliament.
The tour included a visit to a lovely old church that has been adopted by former members of the US military: there was a base nearby and many Americans got married to kiwis (the girls, not the birds) there. There was also a ride on an incline above the city, and a special visit to a playground for Alexander and Mickey.
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