Matariki! Te Papa, Mt. Victoria Loop, Fireworks [M #4]

Matariki is a new national holiday which celebrates the year just gone and ushers in the new year. There's many fun things for us to do on the day, including:

• Coffee and snacks at Te Papa's cafe
• Mana Maori tour of Te Papa
• A walk around Mt. Victoria/Tangi Te Keo
• Food trucks and fireworks display

You all are welcome to join in on any or all of these activities, described in greater detail below :) Please let Sarah or I know which things you're attending and which you're not, either by commenting or PM. You can leave and come back during the event, there's no strict bookings except for the Mana Maori tour (which also requires payment).

1. Te Papa Cafe (12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.)
Let's ease into this long event by having some coffee and a bite to eat. Meet on Level 1, to the left of the main entrance. We will give an indication of which table we're sitting at on the day. You can find their menu here -- they'll be serving lunch:

https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/plan-your-visit/cafes-and-shops/level-1-cafe-menu

2. Mana Maori Tour (2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.)
If you want to attend this, you MUST pay $20 into the following bank account by the afternoon of June 22nd at the latest:

01-0853-0096040-00

Please put as the reference the name you use on MeetUp so I can match up the payments as they come in. In the event the tour can't be booked for whatever reason (there's some uncertainty on Te Papa's part about whether a tour guide will be available), a full refund will be issued. This money is to cover the cost of the tour, as it isn't free and must be paid in a lump sum.

In the event that we can't book the tour or there isn't enough interest from members, we will instead have a look at the Manawatia a Matariki and Robin White exhibitions:

https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/exhibitions/manawatia-matariki-celebrate-our-new-year

https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/exhibitions/toi-art/robin-white-something-happening-here

3. Mt. Victoria Loop, starting from Te Papa (3:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.)
After we finish exploring Te Papa, the plan will be head to off for a late afternoon walk. It could get dark before we make our way back to the city, so be sure to bring a head lamp or torch!

The path we'll be following isn't the usual one for Mt. Victoria, but you can see it here on this map:

https://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/outdoors/walks-and-walkways/across-the-city/mount-victoria-loop

Basically what I plan to do is ascend the hill at Oriental Parade, then follow the blue path down to where it connects to the Southern Walkway. We'll stay on the Southern Walkway until we hit the yellow path, at which point we will travel up to Majoribanks St., but not before veering off slightly to see the Hobbit Hideaway Film Location.

Once we're at Majoribanks St. we'll walk down through Courtenay Place and snake our way back to the waterfront/Te Papa.

4. Food Trucks and Fireworks (6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)
No holiday in Wellington is complete without a massive fireworks display! Before that happens at 7:15, we should grab some grub at the many, many food trucks that'll be lined up along the harbor's edge. Yum!

After experiencing all the excitement of the fireworks, we can hang around for a little bit longer and take a look at all the artistic displays ("Ahi Ka").

https://wellington.govt.nz/news-and-events/events-and-festivals/matariki#ahi

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Housekeeping:

As per usual, an alert change to Red might mean we have to cancel or postpone.

Once you pay for the Mana Maori tour, please comment in the event thread to say so. Your RSVP for the tour isn't locked in until payment is received and confirmed.

If you have any other questions, please let us know in the comments below. Hope to see you there! Should be a blast!