Just Back From...

Wellington, NZ

By Jenny Andersen

I probably shouldn't sound surprised... everyone had told me that Wellington was excellent. But I was surprised. And it really is excellent!

It's just over 3hrs flight from Sydney - so perfectly 'do-able' for a weekend.

The city is really pretty - lots of lovely wooden houses perched on the many hills overlooking the harbour. It's quite a compact city and is easy to walk around exploring the shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Te Papa museum is a really well done. We only spent a couple of hours - but it you could easily spend a day there. It's a great place for kids too with loads of things to touch and do. It's (almost) all very educational. SheepCam was a favourite - it has excellent humour value if somewhat dubious educational content.

I'd honestly recommend just wandering round the foreshore - there are a number of good restaurants and bars in the main harbour area and around to Oriental Bay. Take a ferry over to Day's Bay for breakfast (1/2 hr away and $17 return).

Mac's Brewery had very good afternoon 'refreshments' and we had a fab dinner at Shed 5 down on the harbour (all washed down with a cheeky pinot called Mt Difficulty that I'd thoroughly recommend.)

After 'watching' the Super 14 Final we headed up Cuba Street - a groovy stretch of bars and late night hangouts. The other best known area for entertainment in Wellington is nearby along Courtenay Place packed with shops, bars and cinemas.

You can walk almost everywhere in Wellington. It's a bit hilly in places, but stop for coffee on the way. Wellington has very good coffee! Otherwise taxis are pretty cheap though - it's about $20 into town from the airport.

Wellington's a very popular destination for groups and conferences in NZ - so sometimes accommodation is hard to come by. Book ahead if possible.