Today’s walk was a bit of an experiment as we caught a train into town and commenced our walk from Wellington Railway Station. We walked up through Bolton St Cemetery, stopping to look at some views and notable memorials. From here it was off to the Rose Garden and a stop at the Peace Flame before climbing to the lookout by the Cable Car. After enjoying the views, we wandered through Kelburn and down The Glen, admiring the beautiful old houses and enjoying some sun, even if it was still very cold. We even found the Indonesian Embassy heading down a wonderfully wide street to the entrance back into the gardens. Once back into the Botanical Gardens, we felt morning tea was in order before exploring Begonia House. Then it was off to look at some heritage houses around Thorndon, starting with Wellington’s answer to San Francisco’s 7 Sisters. It was then a climb up Glenbervie Terrace to look at the Wedge House. While we were taking photos, the owner walked up the hill. He told us quite a lot about the history of the house and even invited us to take a look at his office. Turned out, this gentleman was Chris Cochran, a Conservation Architect. What an interesting man! We then looked at a couple of Chapman Taylor homes and a few more early Wellington houses. With a bit of information overload, we walked back to the Station and had to catch train replacement buses back to Upper Hutt.

It had been a nice day out.

Lead - Judith O’Leary

Walkers: Christine, Sheila, Mark, Helen, Helena and Angela