Today is approximately four months to the day that I arrived on these Shaky Isles and I must say I have not one iota of regret. So I am daring to look at the reasons I find Wellington, NZ more in tune with me than I found Hobart, Tasmania.
Comparisons are odious, as surely some ancient Greek Philosopher once said, in enshrining one's obvious individuality to be of the essence of life. However cities are different, as are countries, and the similarities between Hobart and Wellington are what first attracted me to both places. Firstly they are both capital cities, both have practically the same population, you can walk the city easily in an hour or so, and they were settled on the water for trade and accessibility. They are both predominantly Anglo-Saxon in population, but here the similarity ends.
The convict origins in Hobart left such a strong mark on that very pretty town, and these origins remain an effective part of its psyche, as much as the locals might deny it. What eventuated in Hobart after the freeing of the convicts to become 'settlers' was very different to what happened after Captain James Cook circumnavigated these 'shaky' islands in 1769 and the first Europeans arrived here in the early eighteen hundreds. One seminal influence I believe, was the anguish and injustice experienced by the hundreds of women in the infamous 'female factories' in Hobart, which have left an imprint on the female population which is possible to see even in these days of the twenty-first century.
Nothing like this existed in Wellington, indeed the arrival of the very free settlers was exciting and they wanted to appropriate this wonderful land, buy it cheaply of course, from the Indigenous Maori population. The Waitangi Treaty, thought by some to be quite unjust to the Maori, still gave the Maori certain rights which of course the Tasmanian Aborigines never dreamed about getting, and in some cases, still don't have. It is sad to see the state of Indigenous culture, on the whole, in Hobart, although there are some very active pockets of people still trying to rectify the horrific White Australia Policy, which made the country a laughing stock amongst the free developed nations.
Wellington, on the other hand, had a vibrant economy stemming from the great resources of land and imported animal stock, that's sheep, cattle and dairy. The wealth was much more evenly distributed and the results created a faraway little piece of Britain and Europe, with the Maori looking on and trying to make sense of it all. And trying to keep some of their land, one would presume. They were not given much say in Government, and still aren't to a large extent, but they are present and acknowledged, and the Maori Language is everywhere, and on the uprise.
Where are the Australian Aboriginal languages? Practically extinct, with some hope being given only due to a lot of work being done by some few valiant Indigenous educationalists.
This kiwi 'coolest little capital', as it is monikered, has since grown to being a very multicultural city, vibrating with enthusiasm, mad about sport, punching above its weight in IT, cinema, and so many of the arts and sporting fields. There's a palpable feeling of pride in being a Kiwi, and although there are surely many proud Taswegians, I know of many downtrodden unhappy ones, seeking refuge in the bottle and other ways of forgetting where they came from. Such is not the case here, and will never be. Although there are certainly the rich and the poor, it is nowhere near the same as in Tassie, where it is well known the the majority of wealth in that tiny green island lies with about four families. And they are keen to keep it that way. The model to emulate in Tassie is the 'great Aussie battler', who is so often the loser. This is very much not the case in New Zealand, although, granted, there is a strong history of talented Kiwis deserting the shaky isles for the bigger bounty in OZ.
Enough ranting, I do love both countries, by the way!
The popular Kiwi Bookstore chain
Below, young people lining up for a fresh juice in the Readings cinema complex.
Cafe Scopa, reminiscing about Maori grandma's wisdom.
Stopping at The Laundry for a Chai latte before Sunday's Ballroom Dancing
Some interesting design features at this converted laundry. Where IS this customer going??
