Not bad, huh?
From food tours and kiwi-spotting to movie magic and Maori culture in New Zealand’s capital.
In Wellington, the illumination comes from talking to those that have come back. The once young New Zealanders who fled for bigger ponds 20 to 30 years ago; the ones who were reluctant to return from Sydney, London and Los Angeles but are now delighted they did.
Today’s Wellington – a tremendously energetic, vibrant and instantly likeable place where something always seems to be on the cusp of happening – is a relatively new beast. It has seen tremendous changes in the last two decades, partly through smart governance, partly through an infusion of youth from the rest of New Zealand and partly through geography.
A city once known for its unremarkable dowdiness and squally weather has now got the unmistakeable air of cool about it.
Wellington is almost bereft of parochiality. It is a city of people who have either moved there from elsewhere, or have expanded their horizons and returned. There’s a distinct willingness to embrace new ideas and improve on whatever’s already there. The disturbingly ferocious desire to accept only the best coffee that can be sourced has seen a highly knowledgeable café culture sprout up. The same ethos has been applied to wine – the quality over quantity Martinborough wine region is just an hour away – and food. And, in the last few years, craft beer as well.
But having people of the right mindset is no use if they’re spread too far apart. And that’s where geography comes in. Wellington is in a beautiful natural location, hemmed in around the harbour by an amphitheatre of sharply-rising hills.
There’s not much room for expansion, but that limitation has been turned into a great strength. Prescient town planning in the early days kept the hills as a green belt that still exists today, while the small bowl that the city centre cuddles into is easily walkable. Shops, bars and cafés can thrive on walk-past traffic, giving licence to experiment. This, coupled with clever infrastructure and public art projects that have properly linked the city to the waterfront, has created a centre that people genuinely want to be in.
A befuddled, jetlagged walk down Cuba Street confirms this. It’s Friday night, buskers and street performers are whipping up crowds, small queues are growing outside temporary comedy festival venues, and the food carts of the night market cover the world from Chile to Chiang Mai. It’s immediately invigorating. Wellington may be one of the world’s smallest capital cities, but there are few that make you want to throw yourself in with such relish.
See and do
Zealandia: This extraordinary 500 year project to return a valley to the state it was in before humans arrived in New Zealand is quickly becoming a wildlife refuge for endangered species previously only surviving on offshore island sanctuaries. The guided night walks are best if you want to see most of the critters – including the nocturnal little spotted kiwi.
Zest Food Tours: Wellington is serious about its food, and Zest Food Tours offers a perfect primer of what’s on offer. The tours take in coffee roasteries, hand-made chocolates, manuka honeys and the best foodie hangouts. The extended version includes lunch at top restaurant Logan Brown.
Beer tasting: It’s estimated that over half of New Zealand’s craft beer is consumed in Wellington. The best intro to the microbrewing scene can be found at the Malthouse – the city’s first craft beer pub. Through Wild About Wellington, it’s possible to book a comprehensive tasting session with local beer writer Neil Miller, who talks guest through the different styles and the country’s boozy history.
Te Papa: The National Museum is one that rewards repeat visits. If you have to pick your sections, though, go for Awesome Force – which explains the country’s earthquake and volcano-riddled landscape – and Tangata o le Moana. The latter is all about how the people of the Pacific Islands came to New Zealand.
Weta Cave: Weta is the company that made all the props and costumes for the Lord of the Rings films (amongst many others). The tours around part of the workshop are riveting – both in terms of spotting things from films and realising the level of detail, planning and creativity that goes into making them.
Mount Victoria: It’s a steep hike (or a lazy bus ride) up to the top, but the views out over the city on one side, plus the Tasman Sea and Miramar Peninsula on the other, are unmatchable.
Kayaking: Alternatively, take a look at the city from out on the water. Ferg’s Kayaks offers tours around Wellington Harbour, as well as kayak hire for those who prefer to paddle around independently. Just avoid the windy days…
Carter Observatory: Next to the city’s Botanic Gardens, the Carter Observatory is something of a stargazing relic that has been spruced up to become a museum. By far the most interesting sections are on how the Maori have traditionally read the southern skies.
Buy
Bohemein: For gifts to take back home, look no further than this Czech-run contemporary chocolatier. Amongst the showy chocolate sculptures, Bohemein (109 Featherston Street) offers weird and wonderful flavours such as pineapple and black pepper or raspberry and 20 year-aged balsamic vinegar.
Kirkcaldie and Stains: New Zealand’s premier department store, Kirkcaldie and Stains (165 – 177 Lambton Quay) has an Are You Being Served? timeless feel about it, mixed with a sense of indisputable class.
The Old Bank: No prizes for guessing what this arcade used to be, but it’s now home to an endearing collection of indie boutiques.
Cuba Street: Wellington’s most engaging shopping strip is about the collective experience rather than any one particular store. Record shops, vintage fashion boutiques, second-hand swap shops and cutesy stationers rub shoulders. Highlights include the Ferret bookshop – which, as the name suggests, encourages furtive rummaging – and the inventive window displays of Hunters and Collectors.
Live like a local
Stock up at Moore Wilson: Practically worshipped by Wellingtonians, Moore Wilson is the dream supermarket, stocking the highest quality goods – be it honeys, cheeses, fruits, juices or meats – from small local suppliers.
Get the ferry indoctrination: The ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton on the South Island is a notorious test of sea legs and stomach steadfastness. Less taxing ferry rides are available to Matiu-Somes Island in the middle of the harbour, a popular picnic spot.
Head into the hills: The fizzing energy may be in Wellington’s compact centre, but the relief is just a short (if admittedly steep and uphill) hike away. That green ring of hills around the city contains walking tracks with a surprisingly un-urban feel. Once up there, spending half a day aimlessly meandering along is a blissful way of slowing the pace down.
Did you know? Wellington has gold to thank for its status as national capital. When the South Island had its 19th century gold rush, there was talk of it seceding. The powers that be thought it expedient to move the capital from Auckland to somewhere closer to the trouble-makers. Wellington had a perfect natural harbour, so it won.
Sleep (150)
Wellington’s accommodation tends towards the functional – most hotels and apartments are aimed at business travellers. Location is important here – the whole point is to be in amongst it in the centre. The motels and B&Bs in the satellite towns are best avoided if you want to experience the city properly.
Budget (£): The YHA Wellington City (292 Wakefield Street. T: 00 64 4 801 7280) is everything an urban hostel should be – with excellent communal facilities, and surprisingly good quality private rooms.
Mid-range (££): The Bolton (12 Bolton Street. T: 00 64 4 472 9966) is slick, spacious and business-focused, but with enough thoughtful little touches to elevate it above the identikit.
Luxury (£££): The Museum Hotel (292 Wellington Street. T: 00 64 4 802 8900) is certainly not dull. The lobby is a hugely flamboyant art gallery, full of motorcycles and installation art that makes you double take. The apartments at the back – with full kitchens to compliment the sense of swagger – are the best bet.
Eat
Cheap (£): Wellington has sprouted a surprisingly large collection of South-East Asian restaurants in recent years. Of these, KK’s Malaysian (54 Ghuznee Street. T: 00 64 4 385 6698) is a tremendous budget choice. It may not win many style points, but the beef rendang and fish sambal are supremely tasty bargains.
Mid-range (££): The two war canoes by the Karaka Café (Odlins Square. T: 00 64 4 916 4393) on the waterfront give an indication of what it does differently – the dishes incorporate traditional Maori ingredients, such as flax seeds in the burger buns and horopito (a native herb) rubbed into seared lamb rump.
Splash out (£££): Logan Brown (192 Cuba Street. T: 00 64 4 801 5114) combines spectacle – it’s inside a gorgeous old bank – with top-drawer, sustainably-sourced food. The paua (abalone) ravioli with coriander, basil and lime beurre blanc is worth fighting over, and the wine-matched menus are excellent.
After hours
Little Beer Quarter: One of the newest, and most laid-back, of Wellington’s mushrooming crop of craft beer bars, Little Beer Quarter (6 Edward Street. T: 00 64 4 803 3304) offers six regular tap beers and an ever-rotating cast of guest efforts to experiment with. It’s the low pretence option.
Hashigo Zake: Offering a mildly Japanese-themed cellar bar take on the craft beer pub, Hashigo Zake (25 Taranaki Street. T: 00 64 4 384 7300) has a strict microbrewery-only policy, and showcases Wellington brewers Parrotdog and Garage Project amongst others. The crowd leans towards the self-consciously hip.
Library: With bookshelves all over the joint and the air of a private member’s club, Library (Level 1/53 Courtenay Place. T: 00 64 4 382 8593) also happens to be the best spot in town for cocktails. They’re inventive, and made with the utmost professional care – even if some could knock out an elephant.
Getting there
You’ll need to stop at least twice on the way to Wellington, so go with whichever airlines are offering the best deals or stopovers you might fancy. Emirates (T: 0844 800 2777) goes via Dubai and Sydney from six UK airports. Other options from Heathrow include Air New Zealand (T: 0800 028 4149) via Los Angeles and Auckland and Singapore Airlines (T: 020 8961 6993) via Singapore and Brisbane.
Getting around
In the centre, walk. Trying to take a car in is a seriously bad idea, due to both cost and availability of parking. Metlink buses and ferries cover just about every other place of interest. Try Wellington Combined Taxis (T: 00 64 4 384 4444) if you prefer to hop in a cab.
When to go
Wellington is best experienced during the southern hemisphere summer – mid-December to mid-March – when temperatures are higher and rainfall is lower. This is also the period where most of the city’s annual festivals are held. November and April are the best shoulder season months, but Wellington doesn’t have a reputation for wind and rain by accident – the weather can turn at any time.
Need to know
Visas: No visas are necessary for UK citizens, unless staying longer than six months.
Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD or NZ$). £1 = NZ$1.93.
Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required.
International dial code: +64. The Wellington city code is (0)4.
Time difference: GMT+12 in summer.
This guide was researched in March 2013 and originally published in National Geographic Traveller (UK). David was a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism.