Letter from the Antipodes

Kia Ora : Greetings from New Zealand

I write to offer my congratulations to you and your colleagues for your excellent website and the fascinating insights into the life and times of the residents of your very active village of Audlem.

I write this from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand on the other side of the world, which is just about as far away as you can get from you without going into space!

I notice that you occasionally run articles from "foreign shores" and I wondered if your readers might enjoy a few words and photos about New Zealand. Wellington is in the Southern Hemisphere about 10 degrees nearer the equator than you so our summers tend to be warmer and our winters less cold but it is known as Windy City, which it certainly is.

New Zealand consists of two major islands and Wellington lies at the southern tip of the North Island. It is a cosmopolitan, bustling city and boasts a very fine Parliament building, known locally as "the Beehive" and a modern Cathedral consecrated by the Queen in 2002.

The original parish church, known as Old St. Paul's, is a wooden building similar in construction to a Swedish Stave Church and is now Government owned, licensed for weddings etc and operates as a top quality venue for music and other entertainments.

The geography of Wellington is best described as hilly. Away from the attractive harbour area, houses and other buildings balance on the sides and tops of steep hills. Houses are predominantly built of wood, the most readily available building material, which also offers a degree of resilience to earthquakes of which there are many (3 today so far) but are thankfully minor and mostly go un-noticed.

New Zealand is famous for its wines. The principal wineries are in Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of North Island, and Marlborough at the north end of South Island, but there are many other smaller specialist areas. The nearest to Wellington is centred on Martinborough, a small town in the Wairarapa about 2 hours north. The wineries are small, very picturesque and offer a wide range for tasting. Pinot Noir is the top choice (for me at least) but white, pink and bubbles are also offered.

In summary, if you are thinking of coming this way, be sure to include Wellington in your itinerary.

Best wishes to you and your readers from NZ.

A well wisher (Anon)

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