Sister cities

CDP Sister Cities Theme Day

Wellington St, Hania, Crete, Greece



Hania St, Mt Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand



Hania and Wellington became sister cities in 1984. They are linked in contemporary history by the assistance provided by the people of Crete to New Zealand soldiers during the second world war while they were fighting with the allies against the enemy.

The renaming of the former Lloyd St to Hania St was chosen due to the location of the Greek Orthodox Church of Wellington, which serves the Greek community in the area. The church is located in the suburb of Mt Victoria which was where the first Greek migrants to Wellington chose to make their home. I lived in the neighbourhood of the church for nearly two decades. I took this photo nearly five years ago when I was last in New Zealand.

The choice of the street in Hania which was eventually renamed Wellington St was more random than that. It is a long narrow built-up road that starts on the outskirts of the town and ends by the sea at Nea Hora beach. It is a mish-mash of light industry, shops, a few old houses and many apartment blocks. The Greek explanation on the sign translates as 'sister city'. It isn't the most picturesque street in the town, but at least the sign has been updated to explain its name, despite the spelling mistake in the Latin alphabet transliteration - the Greek letters 'OUE' make the English sound, 'WE' as in 'well'. Oh ouell...

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