My week in Mt Maunganui

Hi  there
I've just returned from a week at Mt Maunganui.  Our Prime Minister asked us all to go on holiday and bring mountains of money in to local businesses because, with no overseas tourists, the resort towns are striking out.  Naturally, I had to obey Jacinda.  I mean, like, come on, it was almost a royal order.

What a surprise it was at Mt Maunganui?   On a Sunday, there were thousands upon thousands of people all walking beside Main Beach.  It was a shock.  I'd been closeted away for months and, suddenly, to be confronted by crowds was quite scary.  The shops were going for social distancing but nobody walking beside the water was even giving social distancing a thought..

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 above:  Much further along from Main Beach where the sands were quite deserted.  That's Mt Maunganui in background.

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Yesterday, I visited Wellington Zoo.  It's free until end of June (bookings through their website).  The otters were so adorable.  Here is a little puddle of otters (actually, I believe it's a raft of otters but I like 'a puddle' better) -

PPS:  In NZ, today is the Saturday of Queen's Birthday Weekend and everyone gets Monday off as a public holiday.  Of course, the queen's real birthday is 21 April but we can't keep changing dates to suit whoever happens to be the reigning monarch.  I guess in a few years it will become King's Birthday Weekend.

Weta at the Zoo

Hi there

A week ago, there was a day of entrance-by-gold-coin-donation at Wellington Zoo.  I trotted along and was surprised how much the zoo has changed in the 10 years or so since I last visited.  It's rather like a mini-Melbourne Zoo (but without the elephants).  Quite green and lush.

I remember when I was a child there was the chimps' tea party at the zoo.  Of course, it's horrendous to think of forcing beautiful animals to do something like that today, just to amuse us.  I'm glad it's not like that now.  However, the chimps' tea party is part of history and, as part of history, the past should be recognised as happening, even if we are embarrassed by it. 

Wellington Zoo have openly recognised their past.  Alongside the present chimps' enclosure, there is a plaque, produced by Weta, that shows the nineteen-fifties chimps having a tea party with their keeper.