Although Dominic and I agreed we probably wouldn’t be making any more trips back to New Zealand, if we did, we would spend more time in Wellington. We sadly only had one full day in the capital of NZ but I was completely smitten. Wellington is a perfect combination between big city and small town. It has the food, music, culture,and diversity one finds in a large metropolitan but with a certain security most large cities don’t have. One downside from Wellington is driving and parking. We found ourselves confused by the parking signs and falsely parked and ended up paying for a $40 ticket. At least the car wasn’t towed.
We explored Wellington completely by foot. We walked through the botanical gardens, cemetery, and through the city. We explored a fabulous farmers market and the Te papa Tongarewa Museum.
we listened to live jazz in the Matterhorn, enjoyed several ciders in other locales and just had an overall fabulous time.
we listened to live jazz in the Matterhorn, enjoyed several ciders in other locales and just had an overall fabulous time.
Foodie
The food in Wellington was absolutely fabulous. Many of the places we ate in New Zealand were hit and miss. But we really lucked out in Wellington. We were there during the Harbourside Market and were able to pick up some local fruits and eat from a few local vendors. The ready made food was fabulous but the fruit we picked up to try tasted like old feet.
One of my favorite stops was a drinks vendor that specialized in different types of Chai tea. They claimed they only used the real spices and didn’t believe in the pre-made syrups. I’m still looking for a tea that was as good as theirs.
One of my favorite stops was a drinks vendor that specialized in different types of Chai tea. They claimed they only used the real spices and didn’t believe in the pre-made syrups. I’m still looking for a tea that was as good as theirs.
Sites | Another highlight of Wellington was the admission free Te Papa Museum. That’s right, although one is encouraged to donate, the Museum is gratis, kostenlos, free. The Te Papa is full of all things New Zealand with a few “extras”. The exhibits range from Maori culture, New Zealand history as a common wealth, Native animals and plants, the largest intact colossal squid (see picture left), A Chinese earthquake recorder (bottom left), and also an interactive New Zealand floor map (bottom, which I sadly heard this exhibit is already closed). Dominic and I spent hours reading placards, playing with the interactive exhibits, and basically getting lost in NZ. It was definitely one of the best highlights of our Wellington stay. That and we ran into a group of men and women doing Medieval cos-play in the Botanical Garden, but sadly they ran off questing before I could get a decent picture. |
Above:A cable car that one could take up to the Botanical garden. Dominic and decided the day was fair enough that we hoofed up the steep hill instead. Right: An image of some of the historical architecture in Wellington. In many ways NZ is like the USA for many Europeans. It is devoid of any real architectural history, meaning everything was built in the last 200 years instead of the last 1000+ :-p. |
All in all the trip to Wellington, although too short, was definitely worth it and a must do again, if given the chance. Next time a few extra days would be needed to explore more of the city and the sites surrounding.