VISITING THE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS OF NEW ZEALAND

29th November ~ I was there before the opening hour at 10:00 o'clock so I went around taking photos of the place. Furthermore, visitors were not permitted to take photos when they were already inside. I went in a few minutes before 10 a.m. and joined the FREE tour of the Parliament, which was really interesting. History and politics came alive in front of my very eyes.

The Parliament buildings consist of three main parts: the beehive, the Parliament House and the library - each has its own unique architecture.  Actually, there are certain times when visitors are allowed to get to observe the house in session. Other than that, we were taken to the basement where we could see the technology that was used to make sure the buildings would not be destroyed during earthquake.

This building was named the beehive. According to Joe, the walking tour guide I followed the day before, a group of people were brainstorming for the design of the building they were about to build. At one time. everyone was at his/her loose end and someone simply drew the design of a beehive, and that solved the whole problem. 

The interior was also beautiful, especially the library. Too bad no camera or any electronic devices are allowed into the building. In fact, you have to leave almost everything at the counter before the tour begins. 

The tour lasted for about an hour. I did not know visiting Parliament buildings could be fun but that happened because of a good tour guide who managed to tell us very good stories of the place.