The harbor was lit up with a pretty incredible sunset when the ferry pulled into Wellington. We had two nights to stay right in town and then another two nights just outside of town. We were pretty excited to be in a city for the first time in a while. There were tons of food options and the walking was great.
Our Wellington Highlights
Mt Victoria Lookout & Town Belt Park
The walk to the top from our AirBnB was only about 30 minutes. The sun was shining, until we reached the top. The second we hit the top of the stairs at the lookout, the rain came out of nowhere and was fierce. We took a few seconds to enjoy the view of Wellington and the surrounding harbor. We ran down the hill and back into the cover of the trees. The park itself is gorgeous and has views from all kinds of angles.
Mr. Go’s
This was a recommendation and it did not disappoint. After our hike, we wanted a good meal and we got an amazing meal. This restaurant is near the city center and has great food. While looking at the menu out front, a couple leaving advised us that we would be making a huge mistake if we didn’t go in. Everyone was right and I would recommend this place to anyone.
Cuba Street
We walked off lunch on Cuba Street wandering in and out of record shops, secondhand clothing stores and small boutiques. This stretch also has a ton a restaurants and bars that looked fantastic. We were just too full from lunch and we had plans for our next stop.
Breweries
Wellington is known for the craft beer scene. They have a “trail” you can follow to visit tons of breweries. With our limited budget, we just picked one. We visited HeyDay and loved it. The beers were great and the location was perfect. There are no shortage of breweries in this city. I would recommend HeyDay, but don’t stop yourself there if you are a big fan of craft brews.
Te Papa Tongarewa – Museum of New Zealand
This free museum was phenomenal. There are six floors and each offers something very different. We strolled through art exhibits, learned more about the Maori people and the history of New Zealand and saw horrifying information about what humans are doing to these islands. We spent a few hours taking in all the information we could.
Relaxation
We stayed in the caravan you see below. It was a really cool AirBnB in the trees. We had one full day there, so we just read books, hiked around the property, and did some daydreaming about tiny house living.
See more of our favorite stays in New Zealand.
Next Time We Visit…
We were really opposed to driving anywhere while we were there so we just walked without a plan. It was great, but it left a few things to do next time.
Weta Cave would be cool to see, especially after watching the Lord of the Rings movies. I would love to see the Beehive up close (especially since I’ve been reading so much about Jacinda Ardern.) Trying a few more breweries would be high on the list as well. Finally, I wish we would have gotten up to the Botanical Gardens and the Zealandia Ecosanctuary.
Have you been to Windy Welly? Anything we missed that we should add to our list?
