Wellington

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and one of our favourite stop offs during our time in New Zealand. Having come from the serenity of River Valley we enjoyed being back in a city full of life and people.

One of the main things to do in Wellington is the hike up Mount Victoria, from which you get the best views of Wellington City and the Harbour. We were blessed with the weather during our time here making the walk even more spectacular! Following our short walk we headed down to Oriental Bay to lie on the beach for the afternoon and soak up some rays, and en route down, we caught sight of a pod of dolphins which had apparently been surrounding the harbour for a few days! It was amazing. The beach area is small but perfect if you’re there on a sunny day, the water is so flat and there’s a little pontoon you can swim out to (however do watch out for the jelly fish!)

Although our visit to Wellington was short and sweet we enjoyed a great fun afternoon and evening exploring the thriving hospitality scene. Starting our evening at Wellington Night Market for a bite to eat was great fun. Reminding us of quirky food markets in Brixton, you got the chance to wander around looking at all the different food stalls. The market offered practically every type of cuisine and we really were spoilt for choice, for those on a budget we would definitely recommend making the most of some of those tasters. After the market we hit up The Arborist (recommended by a friend) and treated ourselves to a frozen margarita, enjoying a live band whilst the sun went down. There’s another great rooftop bar we discovered on our way back up called Dirty Little Secret, which was packed full of people dancing with a great DJ and drink prices weren’t too crazy. Following this bar we then headed to Laundry Cuba Street. This place was opened four years ago by three friends looking to exchange their lounge into a bar where the could host their families and friends for drinks, food and gigs.

On our two days in Wellington we enjoyed some culture and visited the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tondarewa. For those looking to find out more about New Zealand’s history, this is the place to go. Offering a number of different exhibitions we left aside a couple of hours to wander around and immerse ourselves in New Zealand’s past. There’s heaps of information on the Maori culture, something we were fascinated by as the Maori’s founded New Zealand 650 years ago, and their culture is still extremely present in NZ today.

Upon leaving Wellington, we stopped off in a town called Nelson, where we took time to embark on an epic hike through Nelson National Park. We stumbled upon a pontoon which we dived off into icy cold freshwater, before continuing the hike. The views within this National Park were beautiful, and if you’re driving out of Wellington this is a perfect afternoon stop off.