R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 79

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Te Papa Tongarewa Museum; Gallipoli Exhibit

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Over the past several weeks I’ve brought to you our 2019 Wellington, New Zealand experiences aboard Majestic Princess. This week we return to Wellington with images of our 2020 excursion aboard Radiance of the Seas. We arrived in Wellington on 10 March 2020, and this time headed off to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa at 55 Cable Street, which is the national museum of New Zealand (pictured above). Sharing the walkway with the museum is the p...

Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating New Zealand; Wellington Favorites 3

Bolger Park

And here are todays Fun Photo Friday favorites of Wellington:

White on Green with a Splash of Yellow Cenotaph Rosy Red Wellington Reflections Seddon Memorial at Bolton Street Memorial Park

An Essay on Oaths and Duty to Country — And How We Are Being Failed Today

The oaths I took upon joining the U.S. military and, later, the Civil Service of the federal government were remarkably similar to the one taken by every senator and congressman. But do members of Congress take seriously those words that they recited? Do they truly accept the responsibilities they supposedly acquired when they swore or affirmed their oaths of office?

The actual requirement for members of Congress to take an oath is derived from this:

The Senators and Representatives before...

Circumnavigating New Zealand — More Buildings, and more flowers

Wellington Cenotaph base

The area around the Wellington Cenotaph is home of a lot of neat imagery. To get there, along Bowen Street, take the segment of the City to Sea Walkway that leads from the Wellington Botanic Garden. Along this route youll pass the Bolton Street Memorial Park, formerly known as the Bolton Street Cemetery:

Bolton Street Memorial Park along the City to Sea Walkway

Past the cemetery, almost directly across the street from the Beehive, lies Turnbull House. It houses the...

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Around Parliament, and more flowers

[image error] Wellington Botanic Garden

As you may recall, we ascended high atop a hill over looking Wellington via the Wellington Cable Car:

[image error] Wellington Cable Car

From here we then proceeded downhill on foot via the Wellington Botanic Garden. Exiting the garden we headed east, joined Bowen Street, and set forth for the New Zealand Parliament. Our first view of the buildings associated with parliament was that of the Beehive, the Executive Wing of New Zealand Parliament buildings. The Beehive houses the...

Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating New Zealand; Wellington Favorites 2

[image error] Blurring Reality

Here are todays Fun Photo Friday favorites of Wellington:

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Circumnavigating New Zealand — Wellington Botanic Garden,

Wellington Botanic Garden

There isn’t a whole lot to say about flower images, especially when one is as botanically ignorant as I. So, let’s just show some flowers today. Click on any image below to enlarge and bring up today’s slide show:

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Wellington Botanic Garden, Strolling downhill from Kelburn

Wellington Botanic Garden

You’re going to be seeing a lot of the Wellington Botanic Garden over the next several weeks, interspersed with other sights around Wellington, New Zealand. But this week’s articles will be of a visual nature concentrated specifically on the beauty to be found within the botanic garden.

Wellington Botanic Garden — the Herb Garden

As such, this week’s articles will be light on text (I hear you cheering) and heavy on imagery.

Wellington Botanic Garden

But n...

Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating New Zealand; Wellington Favorites 2

Wellington Reflections 1

Time for more Wellington Fun Photo Friday Favorites:

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Wellington Botanic Garden, Flowers galore

Wellington Botanic Garden

Well, here we are in the Wellington Botanic Garden. I’m no horticulturalist, so don’t ask me what you’ll be looking at today. Just click on any image in the gallery below to enlarge the image and bring up today’s slide show. Enjoy!