Things to do in Wellington
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Fidel’s
A Cuba St institution for caffeine-craving, alternative types. Eggs any-which-way, pizza and splendid salads are cranked out of the itsy kitchen, along with Welly’s best milkshakes. Revolutionary memorabilia adorns the walls of the funky interior; decent outdoor areas too. A superbusy crew copes with the chaos admirably.
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Te Papa
Te Papa is the city's 'must-see' attraction, and for reasons well beyond the fact that it's NZ's national museum. It's highly interactive, fun, and full of surprises. Aptly, ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as ‘treasure box’. The riches inside include an amazing collection of Maori artefacts and the museum’s own colourful marae; natural history and environment exhibitions; Pacific and NZ history galleries; national art collection, and themed hands-on ‘discovery centres’ for children. Exhibitions occupy impressive gallery spaces with a high-tech twist (eg motion-simulator rides and a house shaking through an earthquake). Big-name, temporary exhibitions…
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Chow
Home of the legendary blue-cheese-and-peanut wonton, Chow is a stylish pan-Asian restaurant-cum-bar: a must-visit for people who love exciting food in sociable surroundings, accompanied by the odd cocktail. Daily deals, free wi-fi, and the fun Library bar through the back door.
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One Red Dog
A bustling, upmarket brewery pub, popular for late-night weekend drinks. On offer are gourmet pizzas, pastas, calzones and salads. Families take the early dinner sitting and young 20-somethings create a fun, upbeat atmosphere.
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Midnight Espresso
The city’s original hip cafe, with food that’s hearty, tasty and inexpensive – heavy on the wholesome and vegetarian. Sitting in the window with Havana coffee and cake is the quintessential Wellington cafe experience.
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Hell
Demon gourmet pizzas are themed after all things evil for around NZ$9-NZ$17. Try the seven deadly sins range or the vegetarian 'purgatory'. Delivery available.
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Wellington Botanic Gardens
The hilly, 25-hectare botanic gardens can be almost effortlessly visited via a cable-car ride (nice bit of planning, eh?). They boast a tract of original native forest along with varied collections including a beaut rose garden and international plant collections. Add in fountains, a cheerful playground, sculptures, duck pond, cafe, magical city views and much more, and you’ve got a grand day out. The gardens are also accessible from the Centennial Entrance on Glenmore St (Karori bus 3).
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Flying Burrito Brothers
Let it all hang out at this lively Tex-Mex cantina. Quesadillas, tortillas, tacos and tostadas laced with avocado and chilli, plus bocaditos (small bites, like tapas) and a kids menu, too. The extensive (and informative) tequila menu and premium margaritas will give you lift-off.
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Espressoholic
A serious supporter of coffee addiction is this grungy café, with chipped black tables and colourful graffiti art. Espressoholic keeps late hours (midnight or later), keeping punters happy with a good veggie selection, cool music and courtyard.
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Chocolate Fish
Much is made of this café being a favourite with film stars working in Wellywood, but it's good enough without such validation. It's a colourful, quirky place in Scorching Bay, east of the city (for the scenic route, take Oriental Pde all the way around Evans Bay, a total of 13km). Sit outside right on the beach (good for swimming) and tuck into a bumper breakfast, perfect panini or hunk of cake. Expect to wait for a table on sunny weekends.
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Dominion Post Ferry
Trips across the harbour to Days Bay are made on the Dominion Post Ferry, departing from Queens Wharf 11 times daily weekdays and six times daily at weekends. It's a 30-minute trip to Days Bay, where there are beaches, a fine park and a boatshed offering canoes and rowboats for hire. A 30-45 minute walk from Days Bay brings you to the pretty settlement of Eastbourne, with appealing cafes and picnic spots.
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Cafe L’Affare
Cafe L’Affare is the centre of a small empire, from which its own beans are roasted and distributed. Its Professor Brainstorm–emporium interior is a hive of activity, with speedy baristas, crowded communal tables and a disco ball. At weekends, kids aplenty add to the cacophony, but everyone adds their cheery thanks to snappy service and wicked brekkies of eggie excellence.
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Beehive
Office workers swarm around the distinctive and well-known modernist Beehive, which is exactly what it looks like, and forms part of NZ's parliamentary complex. It was designed by British architect Sir Basil Spence and built between 1969 and 1980. Controversy surrounded its construction and, love it or loathe it, it's the architectural symbol of the country.
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Arbitrageur
The hardest thing about the chi-chi Arbitrageur experience is pronouncing the name. Everything else is terribly polished. A clever colour-coding system will help you match your meal with a drop from the extensive wine selection, and there's a menu of well-priced nibbles and meals. Live jazz Friday and Saturday night rounds off a sophisticated experience.
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Matterhorn
We're still gettin' the Horn, despite a change of ownership and some stiff competition. A perennially popular joint with three distinct but equally pleasing areas (long bar, dining room and garden bar), the Matterhorn still honours its patrons with reputable food (tapas from mid-arvo, dinner daily, brunch weekends), solid service and regular live music.
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Sandwiches
Get yourself a slice of NZ’s electronic artists and DJs, regular multiflavoured international acts and a great sound system. Gritty club run by a dedicated team that isn’t just in it for the bread.
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Malthouse
Beervana. An immense array of beers (both local and international) that would make even the most fervent of hopheads quiver at the knees. New Zealand does brew great beer, and this is the place to quaff them. Check out the Forty Licks–style toilets in the gents.
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Sweet Mother’s Kitchen
Perpetually full, predominantly with young cool cats, Sweet Mother’s serves dubious takes on the Deep South, such as burritos, nachos, po’ boys and jambalaya. Key lime pie is about as authentic as it gets. It’s cheap, cute, has craft beer and good sun.
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Cable Car & Museum
One of Wellington’s most famous attractions is the little red cable car that clanks up the steep slope from Lambton Quay to Kelburn. At the top is the Wellington Botanic Gardens, the Carter Observatory and the small-but-nifty Cable Car Museum, which tells the cable car’s story since it was built in 1902 to open up hilly Kelburn for settlement. Take the cable car back down the hill, or ramble down through the gardens (a 30- to 60-minute walk, depending on your wend).
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Good Luck
Cuba St’s Chinese opium den, without the opium. This is a slickly run, sultry basement bar playing multiflavoured upbeat tunes. It also mixes the best mint juleps in town, and sports a middle-of-the-mall al fresco lounge – great for watching the Cubacade.
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Floriditas
From the outside this is one of Cuba St's prettiest buildings, and the interior is just as lovely, with a charming old-world European feel helped along by white tiles, velvet drapes and leather banquettes. Quality bistro fare is the order of the day.
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Backbencher
You might spot the odd parliamentarian on the turps at this pub opposite the Beehive, where rubbery puppets of NZ pollies are mounted trophy-style on the walls (Aunty Helen is much more beautiful in real life). Quiz nights and other events keep things lively.
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Mac’s Brewery Bar
Occupying a renovated warehouse on a prime waterfront site, this microbrewery does a great job of looking seriously committed to the craft. Excellent fish and chips.
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Embassy Theatre
Wellywood’s cinema mothership, built in the 1920s. Screens mainstream films; bars and cafe on-site.
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Library
Velveteen booths, books, booze and board games. A real page-turner, with cocktails you won't want to put down.
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