Wellywood!

Our visit to the capital city, Wellington was a welcome break from rural life. We embraced the culture on offer and relished in some city living for a few days.  It’s a hilly city, built around Wellington harbour, famously known as the windy city. Staying true to its reputation, our hillside apartment was buffeted by gales, rain and hail.

Keen to visit a city centre bar, we quenched our thirst at the dockside. Evie was pretty pleased with her first pint.

Next stop Te Papa, the impressive and modern national museum. Our highlights; the preserved colossal squid and whale skeletons. The vague rumble in the earthquake house was a bit of a let down, but overall a great combination of history and modernity with stunning views too.

view from Te Papa

We braved an afternoon outing to the cinema with Evie, unable to resist a peak inside the beautiful building of the Embassy Cinema where Lord of the Rings premièred. After a little encouragement Evie went to sleep to the sound of the circus as Mum and Dad watched Water for Elephants.

The Embassy

Coffee is a huge part of the culture in New Zealand, particularly in Wellington boasting 16 different roasters. We tried as many as possible, our favourite - Cafe L’affare, best coffee so far, other than AllPress from Niki at Waihi Beach.

Keen to explore cake options for my habit we wandered to the food emporium Moore Wilson, but Andy and Evie just wanted cheese!

75kg wheel of cheese - yum!

Of course, we had to burn off all the cheese so embarked on what we thought was a short stroll up Mount Victoria. Well, we should have known better, what with all the health enthusiasts in Wellington. Sure enough, our 'stroll' was a 1hr 45min hike uphill, the views were worth it though.

Runners at Welly waterfront

View at Mt Victoria, Evie not that impressed!

We all had our first experiences of NZ public transport, not entirely successful, but we tried the train, bus and lastly the ferry as we headed over to the South Island. The 4m swell of the Cook Strait left Andy feeling sick before we entered the calm, beautiful waters of the Queen Charlotte Sound.

InterIslander to South Island

Queen Charlotte Sounds, the rewarding view from the Ferry