Day 3. Great War Exhibition, Dominion Museum

We had an excellent dinner last night at a tiny little Italian Restaurant in Courtenay Place. VERY authentic, the staff all spoke Italian, the pizza we shared was totally unlike anything I have ever eaten before. I am afraid it has completely spoilt me for future pizzas.

We followed this with a long walk down Courtenay Place, and then back again, stopping for a Gelato  for [my] dessert and then home for an early night.

We were both still pretty weary this morning so we scrubbed our early start for the day and spent a lovely relaxing morning curled up with our Kindles. Around 11-30 we were raring to go so we set off to the Dominion Museum to look at the Great War Exhibition - created by Sir Peter Jackson and Weta studios. To get there we walked through the new and really delightful Pukeahu National War Memorial Park. We entered the War Memorial which is lovely and spent some time there and then it was up the hill to the Exhibition

We decided to go with a guided tour and in hindsight were very glad we did. Our knowledgeable guide was a retired Air Force Pilot, had been interested in the history of the Great War all his life and, to put the icing on the cake, had served with our late brother-in-law Neil Wood in Ohakea and, in fact, Neil had taken him up for flights in Taeiri when he (the guide) was still a cadet.

He knew the family well, his wife and Paula were friends, and he was thrilled to meet us.

Oh. you want his name Paula?? John Lanham, wife Margie.

As a hobby, in between being a guide at the museum he also flies vintage aircraft at Wings Over Wairarapa where he is the Flying Display Coordinator.

                                          The dioramas are totally realistic - men in a trench
        

                                           Our trench, our barbed wire, then No-man's land
                                                  
If any reader is in Wellington, I suggest that Exhibition is not to be missed. It is open Nov to April, every weekend, with flights on the last weekend each month.

We paused for a drink and then set off to look at the Gallipoli section, but I found I was unable to look at the photos or read any of the descriptions, the totally insane waste of life upset me too much. I think it is because the photos have been digitalised and coloured and you are looking at ordinary Kiwi and Aussie blokes that you would see on any street and thus, instead of just being vague unknown people in an event that happened 100 years ago they became too personal for me. The  massive diorama is fantastic to see even though it was just too much for me to handle.

We are home now and shortly will be off to meet our lovely niece Janelle who will be joining us for dinner.