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Wellington's
Parliamentary Precinct
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By
Richard Moore
 Being
the seat of Government in New Zealand, Wellington offers visitors
the chance to visit the country's Parliament.
When
the Parliament is in session - that is meeting - you can get access
to seating in the public gallery.
You
will need to go through security first and there is a dress code
for those wanting to watch the politicians in action in the debating
chamber.
Male
visitors to the gallery may not wear hats - except for religious
reasons (for example, turbans) - they must not take off their jackets
in the gallery and must wear shoes.
Hear,
hear on the shoes front we say.
If
your time is more limited then just having a wander around the Parliament
Grounds is relaxing, taking in the buildings for their looks rather
than any necessary substance.
 There
are three main buildings and in their own ways they are impressive
structures.
The
Parliament itself is of a neo-classical Edwardian design and was
built in 1907. It replaced the original that was destroyed by fire.
Sitting
to its right is the lovely Parliamentary
Library.
It
was finished in 1899 in a Victorian Gothic style and has been refurbished
and strengthened late last century.
The
library still is a working resource for Members of Parliament and
staff.
The
third of the trio is the famous Beehive,
which houses the offices of the Prime Minister and Cabinet members.
 The
Beehive is 72 metres in height, has 10 floors above ground and four
floors below.
In
front of the buildings is a statue
of one of New Zealand's best known Prime Ministers, Richard
Seddon, who led the country from 1893 to 1906.
There
are a number of nearby things of interest to see while in the area.
Wellington's
cenotaph is just outside Parliament's grounds on Lambton Quay
and is an impressive monument to the country's war dead of World
War I and World War II.
It
was unveiled on Anzac Day (April 25) 1931 and features at its summit
a bronze figure on horseback.
After
WWII two bronze lions and a series of bronze friezes were added.
Now
we wanted to tell you how high it is, but that seems to be an unknown
with nothing available online, nor known by most public officials.
 It
took a lovely lady in the council records office about 20 minutes
to hunt out the information.
So,
for the record, the Wellington cenotaph is 19.5m high.
Across
the way from the cenotaph is the Old
Government Buildings a really impressive structure that is one
of the world's largest wooden buildings.
Built
to house the country's civil servants it is in the Neo-Renaissance
style and opened in 1876.
The
grounds of the Old Government Buildings are open to the public,
as are displays on the ground level and the Cabinet room on the
first floor.
Just
in case you have built up a bit of a thirst on your wanderings we
would recommend poppping into The Backbencher pub across Molesworth
St from the Parliamentary Grounds.
 Apart
from food and drink you get to see some really cool, large political
figurines of some of New Zealand's best known MPs.
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