Wellington, New Zealand

 

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

Februrary 1, 2025

 Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is nestled at the southwestern tip of the North Island and is the world’s southernmost capital city of an independent nation.  Wellington’s history is embodied in a rich collection of architecture from classic weatherboard wooden cottages and the clean lines of art deco to Edwardian and postmodern wonders.  The city’s neoclassical Parliament House stands out and is listed as a Heritage New Zealand building for its history and cultural significance. 

After a tour of the downtown area, we arrived at the waterfront Te Papa Museum to explore a celebration of New Zealand’s diverse landscape, cultures and nature. 

The most impressive exhibit was Gallipoli:  The Scale of Our War -- WWI -- 1915 which immerses one in the eight-month Gallipoli campaign which took place in Ottoman Turkey.  This exhibition tells the story through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances.  Each is captured frozen in a moment of time on a monumental scale – 2.4 times human size. The giant sculptures took a staggering 24,000 hours to create.  In total, 2,779 Kiwis lost their lives on Gallipoli and many others were scarred forever. 

VIKING SKY SEA DAYS - Cruise the Tasman Sea

(on the way to Sydney, Australia) – 2/2-4/2025

February 2, 2025

As many Americans and Europeans refer to a trans-Atlantic journey as “hopping the pond,” Kiwis and Aussies refer to the Tasman Sea voyage between their countries as “crossing the ditch.” The Tasman was named for Dutchman Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first European to set foot on New Zealand and the island of Tasmania in the 1640’s.  Later, British explorer James Cook sailed these waters, famously passing by the entrance to Milford Sound, one of New Zealand’s most breathtaking inlets, believing it too narrow to lead anywhere.  

What better way to spend this Sea Day than with a celebration of all our magnificent chefs and the exquisite creations they showcased at our Brunch today!!!  

Pacific Islands:  In Search of Terra Australis

February 3, 2025

The Viking Sky guest boat builders have spent many days creating and engineering their vessels for today’s competition!!!! 

10:30AM – Presentation and Inspection

11:00AM – Sea Trials and Judging

The Village People from The Villages, Florida entered a vessel and Debra Curtis was our Chief Engineer who spent hours creating this vessel.  It stayed afloat and made it to the opposite end of the pool with a bottle of Aquavit on its deck in search of Australia !!!!!  YAY !!!!!!!   

A good day at “Sea” !!!!

And the winner is …………………. The Viking Zephyr!!