Today was a day for queues. The word ‘Queue’ is a funny word - both noun and verb. They often operate on their own individual set of rules. The rules are assigned to the queue by its participants, heretofore to be known as Queuees. (my own word). Probably should call them Queuers, but somehow that is too polite for the people I am describing!
There’s a whole psychology to queuing. My study has been sculpted by the many hours I have spent personally observing the queue and those who form them. Firstly, there is the sounds people make when they turn a corner and discover the queue. Their first thought is; “Perhaps this isn’t the queue I need” and then (almost instantaneously), “Although I think it is”. There is an expulsion of air and an audible groan, often universally heard (unnecessarily) by those who have reached the same conclusion before them. The volume of such sound effects are directly modulated according to the size of the queue.
Then there are the people within the queue who formulate their own rules in the face of others who might have other ideas. Again, this enigma depends upon the size of the queue. If the queue is long by many standards, then the New Queuers (sounds like a band doesn’t it?) will walk along it’s length. By this process, they are simultaneously assuring themselves that this is their queue and also how long and fast moving the queue is. Primarily though, they are seeing if the queue is being administered efficiently. This is important because if the queue is being managed by a bored staff member who’d rather be anywhere else, then this is the queue for this described participant! If two out of three conditions are met (regardless of whether the queue is being administered efficiently or not), then the plan is to stand loosely propped adjacent to someone in the first section of the queue.
The longer the queue, the closer to the front the errant ‘illegal’ will stand. It takes a certain bravado to do this and will involve searching through your hand luggage as if you have some sort of pass allowing you to skip in front of others. At the same time, the queuee determinedly fails to observe the furious looks and muttering aimed their way by those behind them. As the queue begins to move, he/she just slides in to the general movement forward, presenting his/her oblivious nether regions to those behind. Long wait avoided!
Today, we are in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington sits at the southern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. Camped roughly in the middle of the country, Wellington is New Zealand’s second-biggest city after Auckland. Despite its smaller size, it has an abundance of cultural attractions such as the National Library, National Archives as well as many theatres and excellent museums. The city is also home to the country’s film industry and is nicknamed “Wellywood”. It has the distinction of being the world’s windiest city, decided by average wind speed. It might also be windy because of the hot air formulated in all the queues, but this is just my supposition.
The city was designed by Captain William Mein Smith in 1840. He was the first Surveyor General for Edward Wakefield’s New Zealand Company. The name comes from Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington. In the national native Māori language, Wellington is referred to as “Te Whantanui-a-Tara”, which translates to “the great harbour of Tara”. This is due to the Māori legend that Tara, the son of Chief Whatonga, settled in this area around 1000 CE.
Much of the history of Wellington can be seen within the city’s centre, near the harbour. Those visiting Wellington will find the old Parliament Buildings, which include the iconic Beehive. (So named for its unusual structure). Nearby is Old St Paul’s a church that shows off the Gothic Revival architecture that was popular in the city during the mid-19th century. More history can be found at the Museum of New Zealand “Te papa Tongarewa”, which displays the history of the city and the country as it has unfolded over time.
Our first queue, however is before we even get off the ship! We are surprised, because usually when a ship is able to pull into a berth in a port, getting off is merely a walk down the gangplank stepping onto terra firma without any difficulty at all. Not here it would seem. New Zealand ports are restricted areas and the only way from the Port to the city centre, is via Shuttle Bus. The buses, provided by the city, are woefully inadequate for the 4,000 passengers wishing to leave the ship. As such, the queue to exit the ship via the gangplank winds through the Casino in a vast but unlucky figure of eight. If it weren’t for stools throughout which usually serve to seat players at gambling machines, one might be exhausted before ever having stepped down onto New Zealand soil. This queue is respectfully maintained by adequate advice over loud speaker from our cruise director who quickly closes stairways leading down to the deck to prevent people queueing on the stairs. Also because the queue is made up of stateroom neighbours, most of whom are fresh out of bed and full of breakfast, there is primarily a polite and friendly banter amongst us. Despite this, there are the brave elderly folk who hope to squeeze in but so far have maintained polite manners until their queueing husbands draw level with their seated area. Cannot help thinking that being in a wheelchair would be an advantage as you might be off-loaded quicker but also have a built in seat to wait in!!
The city was designed by Captain William Mein Smith in 1840. He was the first Surveyor General for Edward Wakefield’s New Zealand Company. The name comes from Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington. In the national native Māori language, Wellington is referred to as “Te Whantanui-a-Tara”, which translates to “the great harbour of Tara”. This is due to the Māori legend that Tara, the son of Chief Whatonga, settled in this area around 1000 CE.
Much of the history of Wellington can be seen within the city’s centre, near the harbour. Those visiting Wellington will find the old Parliament Buildings, which include the iconic Beehive. (So named for its unusual structure). Nearby is Old St Paul’s a church that shows off the Gothic Revival architecture that was popular in the city during the mid-19th century. More history can be found at the Museum of New Zealand “Te papa Tongarewa”, which displays the history of the city and the country as it has unfolded over time.
Our first queue, however is before we even get off the ship! We are surprised, because usually when a ship is able to pull into a berth in a port, getting off is merely a walk down the gangplank stepping onto terra firma without any difficulty at all. Not here it would seem. New Zealand ports are restricted areas and the only way from the Port to the city centre, is via Shuttle Bus. The buses, provided by the city, are woefully inadequate for the 4,000 passengers wishing to leave the ship. As such, the queue to exit the ship via the gangplank winds through the Casino in a vast but unlucky figure of eight. If it weren’t for stools throughout which usually serve to seat players at gambling machines, one might be exhausted before ever having stepped down onto New Zealand soil. This queue is respectfully maintained by adequate advice over loud speaker from our cruise director who quickly closes stairways leading down to the deck to prevent people queueing on the stairs. Also because the queue is made up of stateroom neighbours, most of whom are fresh out of bed and full of breakfast, there is primarily a polite and friendly banter amongst us. Despite this, there are the brave elderly folk who hope to squeeze in but so far have maintained polite manners until their queueing husbands draw level with their seated area. Cannot help thinking that being in a wheelchair would be an advantage as you might be off-loaded quicker but also have a built in seat to wait in!!
I enjoy this queue, primarily I guess because I’m ‘fresh’ to queueing at present. People behind us have many experiences of travel to share and the queue does proceed efficiently even though it takes us a full hour to exit the gangplank. There is a short queue for the next bus, but this is considerably quicker than the one necessary to walk the gangplank. The bus we are on, sitting as we are in the very near back seats (where the naughty kids always sat in School buses), proceeds quickly into the city centre and we are soon on foot in a fruitful search for the Parliament buildings.
We pass the Public Trustee building which is elegant and well maintained on the right as we head into the well manicured gardens of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Parliamentary precinct. The Executive Wing (the Beehive), is on our left, Parliament House in all its elegant Sandstone columns is in front of us and to our right, the Parliamentary Library. We eventually find a doorway which opens at our appearance, but an enquiry of the tour organisers finds us disappointed as the next tour, in 45 minutes, is full with a waiting list. We decide to forego the hour long tour in favour of enjoying the beauty of the outside of the buildings and their attendant gardens.
The comparatively modern Executive Wing, also known as the Beehive is the main entrance to Parliament and houses the offices of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers and the Cabinet Room, as well as the Visitor Centre and cafe. This building was designed by Sir Basil Spence, one of Britain’s leading architects, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. It is 10 floors tall, and underneath the building is the National Crisis Management Centre, which is used to coordinate responses to major emergencies. Cannot help but think that this centre has had a lot of use of late with the regular earthquakes which beset this wonderful country.
Parliament House is an elegant building designed in the Edwardian Neo-classical style. It was constructed between 1912 and 1922, following the destruction of the original wooden building by a fire. Between 1992 and 1995 it was extensively refurbished. Parliament House is home to the Debating chamber, the majority of Select Committee rooms and offices for members of Parliament and staff, as well as a number of function spaces.
To its right is the Parliamentary Library which was designed in the Victorian Gothic style by Thomas Turnbull in the late 1800’s. It has survived two fires - the first in 1907 when iron fire doors largely protected it and the second in 1992, although at that time, the foyer was severely damaged. The Library provides research services for MPs and staff, as well as the public, through the Parliamentary Information Service. It looks after a collection of around 100,000 items.
Because we can’t look inside, we cannot help but notice the detail underneath these two buildings. Called Base Isolators, they are designed to absorb movement from earthquakes measuring up to 7.5 on the Richter scale. These isolators serve to protect the buildings. They were installed during the refurbishment between 1992 and 1995. Base Isolators are larger bearings which consist of layers of rubber and steel, surrounding an inner core of lead. They were invented by Dr Bill Robinson, and are now used around the world.
One other interesting, inside fact is the Maui-Tikitki-a-Tauranga (Māori Affairs Select Committee Room). This room takes its names from the Māori Demi-god Maui, who according to legend, fished up the North Island of New Zealand. Quite the catch if you ask me - I wonder what he used for bait? This room was created during the 1990’s renovation of Parliament House and is the main meeting room for the Māori Affairs Select Committee.
We pass the Public Trustee building which is elegant and well maintained on the right as we head into the well manicured gardens of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Parliamentary precinct. The Executive Wing (the Beehive), is on our left, Parliament House in all its elegant Sandstone columns is in front of us and to our right, the Parliamentary Library. We eventually find a doorway which opens at our appearance, but an enquiry of the tour organisers finds us disappointed as the next tour, in 45 minutes, is full with a waiting list. We decide to forego the hour long tour in favour of enjoying the beauty of the outside of the buildings and their attendant gardens.
The comparatively modern Executive Wing, also known as the Beehive is the main entrance to Parliament and houses the offices of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers and the Cabinet Room, as well as the Visitor Centre and cafe. This building was designed by Sir Basil Spence, one of Britain’s leading architects, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. It is 10 floors tall, and underneath the building is the National Crisis Management Centre, which is used to coordinate responses to major emergencies. Cannot help but think that this centre has had a lot of use of late with the regular earthquakes which beset this wonderful country.
Parliament House is an elegant building designed in the Edwardian Neo-classical style. It was constructed between 1912 and 1922, following the destruction of the original wooden building by a fire. Between 1992 and 1995 it was extensively refurbished. Parliament House is home to the Debating chamber, the majority of Select Committee rooms and offices for members of Parliament and staff, as well as a number of function spaces.
To its right is the Parliamentary Library which was designed in the Victorian Gothic style by Thomas Turnbull in the late 1800’s. It has survived two fires - the first in 1907 when iron fire doors largely protected it and the second in 1992, although at that time, the foyer was severely damaged. The Library provides research services for MPs and staff, as well as the public, through the Parliamentary Information Service. It looks after a collection of around 100,000 items.
Because we can’t look inside, we cannot help but notice the detail underneath these two buildings. Called Base Isolators, they are designed to absorb movement from earthquakes measuring up to 7.5 on the Richter scale. These isolators serve to protect the buildings. They were installed during the refurbishment between 1992 and 1995. Base Isolators are larger bearings which consist of layers of rubber and steel, surrounding an inner core of lead. They were invented by Dr Bill Robinson, and are now used around the world.
One other interesting, inside fact is the Maui-Tikitki-a-Tauranga (Māori Affairs Select Committee Room). This room takes its names from the Māori Demi-god Maui, who according to legend, fished up the North Island of New Zealand. Quite the catch if you ask me - I wonder what he used for bait? This room was created during the 1990’s renovation of Parliament House and is the main meeting room for the Māori Affairs Select Committee.
We decide to also re-visit the Wellington Cable Car (Te Whanganui-a-Tara) which transports visitors to the top of a very steep hill where the Botanical Gardens fan out below the Kelburn Terminal - top station. It really is a day of queues and because there are three cruise ships in the Port today, this transfers to crowded places wherever we go. Walking along the main drag, we are amazed to see a queue which on more thorough investigation is the one for the Cable Car. A volunteer is managing the queue in order for participants to cross the footpath into an alleyway which will lead to a ticket box for the car. We wait in this queue for 30 minutes and after purchasing our return ticket, we find yet another queue prior to boarding the cable car. We decide to stand-up in the car, rather than wait for the next one in order to ensure that we get up there before we have an opportunity to watch our ship leave port without us from the wonderful view of Wellington from the top. The Wellington Cable Car was originally thought out by Martin Kennedy who was a successful businessman. He persuaded the Upland Estate Company to include it in its plans for the new suburb of Kelburn. The Cable Car was designed by James Fulton, who also surveyed and set out the Kelburn suburb. Construction started in 1899 and by 1902 the Cable Car opened carrying over 4,000 people on its first week of operation. Maybe Martin Kennedy had a future vision of the amount of visitors the Car would carry in 2022 because there are 4,000 passengers on Quantum of the Seas and it looks from the size of the queues, that everyone of them is in front of us by five minutes trying to do whatever we decide to do, just before us!! | |
Trailers for the Cable Car were added two years later in order to increase seating capacity and the Tea House was built at the summit. It is here, that we partake of a delicious Caesar Salad. Unfortunately the American Caesar Salad on board our Royal Caribbean ship, consists of Cos Lettuce and croutons and we so miss the anglicised version with has bacon, anchovies and egg enhancing its crisp Cos base.
In 1978 the Cable Car original system was replaced by a new Swiss designed system which is currently still in operation today. In 2013 the Kelburn tunnel was rebuilt to include an enclosed viewing deck and by 2016 major equipment upgrades replaced safety, electric drive and control systems. This year, the Cable Car celebrates is 120th birthday and I think everyone has been invited to the party.
Forgive us for not feeling in a celebratory mood about queueing wherever we go but when we return to the busy footpath moving towards where the shuttle buses had dropped us off there are two queues along the street where the buses will stop. The two queues are more than 500 metres long. At first we believe it might be the same queue, just snaking up on itself, but we are relieved to hear that one is for the P & O Pacific Encounter which is also in Port and our own Quantum of the Seas queue. We shuffle tiredly to the very end of our queue on footsore feet. Our weakened resolves are enthused that our queue is moving faster than the P & O one. The bored queuee will find entertainment in anything. I feel like heckling our opposite passengers that they should have travelled with Royal Caribbean, but decide to hush my thoughts. After all, not only are these alternate passengers only an arm’s length away from me and I feel their frustration - but also you really are only as good as the next queue you find yourself in and who knows where that will be?
In 1978 the Cable Car original system was replaced by a new Swiss designed system which is currently still in operation today. In 2013 the Kelburn tunnel was rebuilt to include an enclosed viewing deck and by 2016 major equipment upgrades replaced safety, electric drive and control systems. This year, the Cable Car celebrates is 120th birthday and I think everyone has been invited to the party.
Forgive us for not feeling in a celebratory mood about queueing wherever we go but when we return to the busy footpath moving towards where the shuttle buses had dropped us off there are two queues along the street where the buses will stop. The two queues are more than 500 metres long. At first we believe it might be the same queue, just snaking up on itself, but we are relieved to hear that one is for the P & O Pacific Encounter which is also in Port and our own Quantum of the Seas queue. We shuffle tiredly to the very end of our queue on footsore feet. Our weakened resolves are enthused that our queue is moving faster than the P & O one. The bored queuee will find entertainment in anything. I feel like heckling our opposite passengers that they should have travelled with Royal Caribbean, but decide to hush my thoughts. After all, not only are these alternate passengers only an arm’s length away from me and I feel their frustration - but also you really are only as good as the next queue you find yourself in and who knows where that will be?