4th city- wellington = cardiff in Wales

sightseeing the South Island end at the car rental
got to catch a flight to Wellington by midday

the bird's eye view of Cook Strait was clear
the strong waves below are rough for ships
the long and  narrow strait caused  blowy wind
Wellington is at the latitude of roaring forties
the topsy turvy waves can upset the sediments
at the floorbeds and caused the sea to change colour
taking a ferry is slow and can arouse sea sick
so we just admire the steep cliff  from the air
the straits are said to be among the deepest
and not save for small boats.

we took a taxi ride to hub of Wellington
were welcomed by Nuha's mates at a cosy apartment
nice lofty place above the Chinese restaurant below
the smell of Asean delicacies remind us of home
after lunch we have a stroll in the city

neither hexagon  nor pentagon
wellington own a civic square
tiled with yellow terracota brick
with underground library!
sculpted leaves of several ferns endermic to NZ
suspended 14 metre above its centre

along city-to-sea pedestrian bridge
were several modern art sculptures
use of wood from the ship make it rustic
real artistic with rhyme of poems
beautifully carved here and there

people jogged, walked their dogs
and we strolled to the waterfront
watching the boats bobbled in the quay
just enjoying the evening crispy air
homeward bound the streets were busy
people in black rushing after work
why can't they appreciate other colours?
true to their rugby team-all blacks

Nuha showed her favorite places in town
where she survived for the past 3 years
its second home for her
similar to Cardiff her birthplace
bustling streets near the waterfront
and the Welsh rugby grounds

in Cardiff we live in Riverside
across the river is the stadium
we even  hear the shouts from the fans
during rugby seasons though here all the year round
there was a castle in the park,
here the  historic parliment  building
downhill from the botanical garden

finally we saw Nuha's apartment
next to a hill in the heart of the city
designed  like any Asean building
lost in Willis Street near Flagstaff Hill
arrived to the smell of curry
oh! its been a long day
and dinner is just sumptuous
thank you Meme, Dene, Jeni & Farah
making Nuha and us feel at home