Moving to Wellington or coming to visit? You probably have an idea of why you are coming here and what you are excited about? Maybe you are not sure where you want to settle in New Zealand and want some inspiration. Well having lived in Wellington for the past year I have got to know it pretty well and thought I would share the things I love about being here with my personal best things about Wellington.
The Best Things about Wellington:
1.The harbor/waterfront
What would Wellington be without its harbor, the beautiful stretch of clear blue see that the city is built around? On a summers day, you can head down to the harbour for a coastal walk and glass of vino. Or go to the top of the Botanical gardens for one of the most magical city sun sets I have ever seen!
2. Walking
Wellington is quite a hilly place, but it is also super small which makes it perfect for walking. You can pretty much get anywhere you want to on foot. There are really beautiful walks you can take within the city for a day spent exploring. The town belt and Mount Vic for example. I have been checking out this super awesome blog by a couple of Wellingtonians for ideas for easy walks in and around the city: Wellington Wanders
3. Te Papa
Te Papa is the main museum in Wellington and is so great, even people who don’t like museums love Te Papa. They have an amazing exhibition on Gallipoli with full scale models of soldiers built by the Weta Workshop who do the Lord of the Rings models. Not forgetting the beloved but kind of gross, Colossal Squid exhibit. My personal favourite thing to see is the Blood, Earth, Fire, exhibit on NZ history and the movie My Place, in which New Zealanders from around the country share their story about their connection to the earth. I have been and watched it about five times.
4. Leeds Street
Leeds Street is a perfect little street/alleyway near infamous Cuba Street in central Wellington’s Te Aro. It is more of an alley way than a street but it is full of local gems such as Fix & Fogg Peanut Buttery, The Leeds Street Bakery for the best sourdough ever and The Wellington Chocolate Factory to name but a few. There are also great restaurants like trendy, The Shepherd and craft beer at Golding’s Free Dive. Leeds Street is a manageable introduction to awesome Wellington food, all in one place.
5. Views from the top
You can get amazing views of Wellington from all sorts of different places. Mount Vic is a popular spot, right in the centre of Wellington with 360 degree views of the whole harbour. You will also get a spectacular sunset from the top of the cable car at The Botanical Gardens. I love the view from the Brooklyn Windmill as well. Basically, anytime you are feeling low there is some kind of euphoric vista ready and waiting wherever you are in Welly!
6. Cuba Street
Cuba Street in central Wellington is so much fun! Its a pedestrianised section of road, crowded with little local shops, cafes and bars and nightlife. It is right next to Courtney Place, the other major street and with so much going on in these two, if you need a fun night out, any night of the week you can just head here! My highlights on Cuba are The Wellington Apothecary for all your natural therapy needs, Loretta restaurant which does awesome healthy restaurant food and The Laundry for cocktails and burgers.
7. Coffee
Remaining in the realm of food and drink I have to talk about the Coffee. Being from the UK, means my standards are low, but Wellington coffee is so nice. Almost every cafe you go in does a decent one, so you don’t need to search for it. I have lived in Melbourne previously and I would say it is slightly better there but Wellington is closely following in its footsteps. My favourite places are Doppio Manufactory in Thorndon, Two Grey in the CBD and Peoples in Newtown.
8. Lush Greenness!
I have never been to a more lush city than Wellington. All the suburbs are just FULL of trees and plants. When you look up into the suburban hills, the houses are just surrounded with trees. Sometimes it feels like you could be in the middle of the jungle but you are actually right there in the middle of the city. Amazing! On top of that, with a 45 minute drive you can be in near wilderness. Where else in the world do you have a capital city so close to untouched nature?
9. The cinemas
If you are anything like me and you love going to the movies, you will love Wellington. There are so many cool and quirky little independent cinemas. The Roxy in Mirimar is probably the most spectacular; located in a huge and impressive old Art Deco building. More centrally you have Lighthouse Cuba which I love because you have a little couch to sit on and its so tiny and intimate. Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn also deserves a mention and shows all the great movies. The New Zealand International Film Festival runs in July/August across all these great cinemas: film buffs are gonna love Welly!
10. The Botanical Gardens
The Wellington Botanical Gardens are a particular favourite of mine because I live close to them. As well as the view from the top and the groovy cable car down to the town, there is a native bush walk, a rose garden and so many birds! In summer there is also a free concert series which is pretty fun.
Those were my 10 favourite things about Wellington. There are so many more of course and the list grows from day to day! Let me know what yours are in the comments below, or if you are not here yet, what you are looking forward to. I would love to hear from you!
If you liked this article you might like to read my post Why Move to New Zealand? to give you a bit more of an idea of why I moved to here.
Thank you so much for reading my Wellington blog.
Peace
Josie x