Exercise

My 12 hours of no exercise yesterday brought me 4.4° closer to the South Pole and it shows. After four weeks of sunshine I had to dig to the bottom of the rucksack this morning for my trainers and waterproof jacket to face cold, windy and drizzly Wellington. But since I have another 12 hours in a train tomorrow it was perfect to be in striding weather in a that city I liked as soon as I got off the train last night. After an early-morning walk round the harbour with its sculpted bridges, coffee roasters and eclectic architecture, I did a tour of parliament. I discovered, as did most of the New Zealanders on the tour, that anyone - any nationality, any age - is allowed to go and say whatever they like for as long as they like about any proposed law to the select committee that is discussing it. And have parliamentary immunity while doing so. That choked me up a bit, after all the people I met in Myanmar who didn't have freedom of speech even in private, let alone to the legislators.

On my way back from there (and the large Government Building that was planned in stone but because of financial constraints built in wood though, extraordinarily, you can't tell from the outside) I happened to walk past the national archives and discovered that I could just walk in and see the original 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and the Maori chiefs. So of course I did...

Just outside Wellington is a 2.25 sq km native wildlife sanctuary with a predator-proof fence in which native plants, birds and animals are being nurtured or introduced. Rare and threatened species - many unique to New Zealand because of its very long geographical isolation - are starting to recover. I could have spent all day walking there, listening to unknown birdsong and watching unknown plants but a two-and-a-half-hour tramp was a pretty good start.

Today is the second anniversary of the big, fatal earthquake in Christchurch. I have never experienced an earthquake but visited a simulation in the justifiably renowned Te Papa museum. My second choking of the day... What a terribly frightening experience it must be when you are not expecting it or don't know when the next shock will come. The museum also contained the best exhibits and exposition of Maori history and culture that I have so far come across.

Before finishing my day at the bohemian Friday Night Market in Left Bank Street I happened across this version of the familiar pubertal mating ritual: teenage lads half stripping off and jumping into the cold harbour water in front of teenage lasses threatening to throw their clothes into the water if they didn't jump again.

I probably won't blip for a few days - I'll be meeting friends when I get to Christchurch - but will be back when I can. Continued thanks for all your comments, stars and hearts, and apologies that I can only rarely comment back while I'm on the move.