Travel to Wellington, New Zealand – Episode 797

Hear about things to do in Wellington, New Zealand  as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kate from KateAbroad.com about her former home.

Kate says of Wellington, “I moved there as a brand new university student and ended up living and working there for six years. Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, but highly underrated. It’s got the nickname now of ‘Cooler Little Capital’. It really is because you’ve got so much outdoorsy things that you can do there. It’s based around the Wellington Harbour, but also the we’ve got mountains around with lots of hikes. It’s got a bit of a hipster reputation. There’s a strong foodie culture and is is based around the arts as well.”

“It’s the home of Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings. It’s lots of Lord of the Rings of scenes around Wellington that you can go and visit and you can also see the workshop where all their movie magic is made.”

Kate starts us in the Aro Valley. It’s the kind of hipster neighborhood where you will find a good vinyl store, coffeeshop or craft brewery.  She recommends a hike from there up into the hills at the Waimapihi Polhill Reserve.

If you are looking for shopping, Kate would send you to the Old Bank Arcade. If you are looking for the best museum to the Te Papa Museum that explores New Zealand History. Te Papa has a new exhibit about New Zealand in WWI done by Peter Jackson’s team at the Weta Workshop.

Wellington is on a beautiful bay where Kate says whale watching can be a typical opportunity. If  you visit when the weather is good, take a kayak out on the bay followed by a brunch at one of the restaurants along the water. Or rent a “Croc Bike” (bicycle surrey) to explore the waterfront.

There is live theatre in the capital but one of the draws is the movies. Lord of the Rings fans should consider both a Lord of the Rings tour of some of the locations used as well as a trip to the Weta Workshop.

For side trips Kate recommends a trip to the Pinnacles Track and the Cape Palliser Lighthouse at the southmost point of the North Island. The lighthouse has a seal colony and on a clear day you can see the South Island.

Wine lovers should make a side trip to Featherston and Martinborough where you can visit wineries and other food based tourism .  This would be a lovely spot to stay in a hotel or B&B. The area also has its own version of Stonehenge at Aoteroa. This is a modern replica.

The other side trip Kate recommends is up the west coast to Kapiti Island and the spectacular Paekākāriki Escarpment Track with long suspension bridges on the rugged coast.

Along the way Kate, who is a foodie, recommends some of the restaurants, cafes and breweries that she misses from this city she called home.

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Show Notes

Kate Abroad | Adventures Down Under
Wellington
Aro Valley
Waimapihi Polhill Reserve
Garage Project
Wellington Hotel NZ – DoubleTree by Hilton Wellington
Oriental Bay
Rita (Restaurant)
Old Bank Arcade
Lambton Quay
Oriental Bay
Coene’s Bar and Eatery
Beach Babylon
Croc Bikes
Hutt Valley (The “Hutt”)
Mount Victoria
The Chippery
Te Papa
Gallipoli campaign
Circa Theatre
BATS Theatre
Empire Cinema and Eatery
The Lord of the Rings Tours from Wellington
Weta Workshop
Scorch-O-Rama
Lyall Bay
Pinnacles Track
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
Cape Palliser
Lake Ferry
Featherston
C’est Cheese Featherston
Martinborough
Poppies Martinborough
Palliser Estate Wines of Martinborough
Ata Rangi
Cambridge Road Vineyard
Olivo NZ
Union Square
The White Swan Hotel, Greytown
Stonehenge Aoteroa
Remutaka Cycle Trail
Kapiti Island
Paekākāriki Escarpment Track
Salt and Wood BBQ Restaurant
The Raumati Social Club
Tuatara Breweries
Black Dog Brewery
Fortune Favours
Cuba Street
Floriditas (Brunch)
Loretta (Brunch)
Wellington on a Plate Festival
Sweet Bakery and Cakery
CubaDupa – Wellington Street Festival
Hiakai
The Botanist
Maranui Cafe at Maranui Surf Life Saving Club
Oatery
Hawkins Hill
City Gallery Wellington | Te Whare Toi
The 7 best Wellington laneways for food, drink + art

Community

about Travel to Guatemala – Episode 795 I heard :

Really enjoyed this podcast; we did nearly the exact same itinerary a couple years ago. By happenstance, we visited during Semana Santa (Easter Week), and it was an incredible experience. In both Antigua and Atitlan, there were incredible processions over “carpets” people constructed in the streets, many of them designed with brightly colored sawdust. There were more people around, and I’m guessing prices were higher, but in my opinion it was worth it.

Justin

Hi Chris

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