Capital F

Contrary to popular belief, Auckland is not the capital of New Zealand. That honor belongs to my new hometown of Wellington. Dawn and I tour Parliament and the Beehive, a building shaped like a (you guessed it) beehive that houses government offices. The lobby displays a tattered New Zealand flag that was found in the ruins of the World Trade Center after 9/11. The tour stops at a collection of banners from various NZ allies. The guide picks up one particular banner and winks at us: "You American ladies might be familiar with this one." Yes, it was red white and blue, but it was embroidered "Republic de Chile."

Parliament is in session today, so we sit in the public gallery to observe. It entertains us for 2 full hours. There is a lot of shouting and nonsense. "Is the minister of police aware that crime is intimately tied to drug and alcohol abuse?" Umm, yeah. Nothing is accomplished. "The minister may not have answered the question, but he did address the question." But wait... I'm about to witness history. For the first time ever, the F-word (and I don't mean filibuster!) is uttered on the floor of New Zealand Parliament. This is discussed in the newspaper. What an honor to have been present.

The guard chats us up when we collect our belongings from security. He is heartbroken because his son and American daughter-in-law are absconding to Texas with his grandkids. Poor guy. He is very interested in why we're here and recommends places to visit. His final recommendation is to beware of the young Kiwi male.