dreamstime
Steep hillsides and cable cars are just two of the things
Wellington, New Zealand has in common with San Francisco. They also each
have a lovely waterfront, great food and a strong coffee culture.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND— Walk along
its blue harbour and you might mistake New Zealand’s capital city for
San Francisco, with its waterfront ringed by hills studded with homes
and high-rises. Spend a day poking around Cuba Street, or a night
bar-hopping at Courtney Place and you’re sure to pick up a similar vibe:
young, hip and just a little bit quirky.
Wellington long ago shed its staid, bureaucratic image, though you’ll still find plenty of “the suits,” as they are affectionately called, around the beehive-shaped Parliament Building and New Zealand Stock Exchange. For many laid-back Wellingtonians, the dress code now leans more toward sandals and hiking shorts; backpacks, not briefcases. Lonely Planet dubbed Wellington “The Coolest Little Capital in the World” last year when it named the city to its top five Best in Travel. Nearly 60 percent of its 200,000 residents are age 18 to 49 and it shows in the city’s festivals, film industry and active lifestyle.
A turning point came in 1998 with the opening of the national museum of New Zealand, which blew the socks off conventional museums. An instant hit, it sparked a resurgence of arts and culture and made the capital city a popular weekend destination for Kiwis and a must-see for international visitors. Here are a half-dozen things to check out.
GET SOME CULTURE
Te Papa Tongarewa, The Museum of New Zealand, is a buff-colour architectural showcase on the waterfront that takes an innovative, high-tech approach to the display of art and artefacts that tell the story of New Zealand’s people and environment. Take your time, with five levels Te Papa is one of the world’s largest national museums. Check out Maori artefacts, a colossal squid and walk onto a satellite map of the country as images light up on the wall. Don’t pass the museum store; it carries high-quality merchandise, not the usual tchotchkes.
CLIMB A HILL
Board one of the tomato-red cars at Lambton Quay and enjoy the ride past the stop at Victoria University to the top where the view of the blue harbour and green hills is simply stunning. Peek inside the Cable Car Museum before deciding whether to ride back down or take a 45- to 60-minute walk, depending on how fit you feel.
CAFFEINE HIT
Kiwis are serious about their joe. Wellington has more than a dozen coffee roasters and though there is Starbucks, it is frequented mostly by teens who haven’t honed their palate for quality java. You’ll need to learn the lingo. A “short black” is an espresso, a “long black” an espresso doubled in size with hot water, a “flat white” is one third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, with creamy white froth and a brown swirl on top. Smell the fresh roast at Mojo Coffee Cartel on Customhouse Quay or the pea-green Havana Coffee Works on Tory Street.
SHOP ON CUBA
Once a gritty, grungy section of town, Cuba Street has gentrified into a hip, bohemian enclave with edgy boutiques and trendy cafes. Wellington has more restaurants and bars per capita than New York City, and you’ll find some of the most popular here. Stop for a few minutes to watch the Bucket Fountain. Sky blue, fire-engine red and mustard-yellow buckets slowly fill with water then tip, splashing and surprising unsuspecting passers-by.
SMELL THE FLOWERS
Take a walk in the woods through this 62-acre garden. In addition to leafy green native forest, you’ll find seasonal floral plantings. November to May, the Lady Norwood Rose Garden is a riot of reds, yellows and orange blossoms. At the Carter Observatory, you can explore the constellations of the Southern Sky in a domed planetarium.
BACK TO NATURE
Some of New Zealand’s rarest native animals thrive in this refuge located in an emerald-green forested valley just 10 minutes from downtown Wellington. The long-range mission here is to return this corner of New Zealand to the way it was before humans arrived. Walk the 30-plus kilometres of paths and you might be lucky enough to spot a giant weta.
by: Katherine Rodeghier is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area.
Wellington long ago shed its staid, bureaucratic image, though you’ll still find plenty of “the suits,” as they are affectionately called, around the beehive-shaped Parliament Building and New Zealand Stock Exchange. For many laid-back Wellingtonians, the dress code now leans more toward sandals and hiking shorts; backpacks, not briefcases. Lonely Planet dubbed Wellington “The Coolest Little Capital in the World” last year when it named the city to its top five Best in Travel. Nearly 60 percent of its 200,000 residents are age 18 to 49 and it shows in the city’s festivals, film industry and active lifestyle.
A turning point came in 1998 with the opening of the national museum of New Zealand, which blew the socks off conventional museums. An instant hit, it sparked a resurgence of arts and culture and made the capital city a popular weekend destination for Kiwis and a must-see for international visitors. Here are a half-dozen things to check out.
GET SOME CULTURE
Te Papa Tongarewa, The Museum of New Zealand, is a buff-colour architectural showcase on the waterfront that takes an innovative, high-tech approach to the display of art and artefacts that tell the story of New Zealand’s people and environment. Take your time, with five levels Te Papa is one of the world’s largest national museums. Check out Maori artefacts, a colossal squid and walk onto a satellite map of the country as images light up on the wall. Don’t pass the museum store; it carries high-quality merchandise, not the usual tchotchkes.
CLIMB A HILL
Board one of the tomato-red cars at Lambton Quay and enjoy the ride past the stop at Victoria University to the top where the view of the blue harbour and green hills is simply stunning. Peek inside the Cable Car Museum before deciding whether to ride back down or take a 45- to 60-minute walk, depending on how fit you feel.
CAFFEINE HIT
Kiwis are serious about their joe. Wellington has more than a dozen coffee roasters and though there is Starbucks, it is frequented mostly by teens who haven’t honed their palate for quality java. You’ll need to learn the lingo. A “short black” is an espresso, a “long black” an espresso doubled in size with hot water, a “flat white” is one third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, with creamy white froth and a brown swirl on top. Smell the fresh roast at Mojo Coffee Cartel on Customhouse Quay or the pea-green Havana Coffee Works on Tory Street.
SHOP ON CUBA
Once a gritty, grungy section of town, Cuba Street has gentrified into a hip, bohemian enclave with edgy boutiques and trendy cafes. Wellington has more restaurants and bars per capita than New York City, and you’ll find some of the most popular here. Stop for a few minutes to watch the Bucket Fountain. Sky blue, fire-engine red and mustard-yellow buckets slowly fill with water then tip, splashing and surprising unsuspecting passers-by.
SMELL THE FLOWERS
Take a walk in the woods through this 62-acre garden. In addition to leafy green native forest, you’ll find seasonal floral plantings. November to May, the Lady Norwood Rose Garden is a riot of reds, yellows and orange blossoms. At the Carter Observatory, you can explore the constellations of the Southern Sky in a domed planetarium.
BACK TO NATURE
Some of New Zealand’s rarest native animals thrive in this refuge located in an emerald-green forested valley just 10 minutes from downtown Wellington. The long-range mission here is to return this corner of New Zealand to the way it was before humans arrived. Walk the 30-plus kilometres of paths and you might be lucky enough to spot a giant weta.
by: Katherine Rodeghier is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area.
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