Blowing in the wind
The best flat white in the world, and the watersports aren't bad either
Iain O'Brien
03-Nov-2014
The view from Mt Victoria: remember to look for Petone across the harbour • AFP
Feast your eyes
A visit to Lyall Bay and Maranui Café is a must, especially if you can get a window seat to sit in, eat, drink and enjoy the views. It's my favourite café anywhere. The views include the beach, sea and surf, and planes landing and taking off from one of the more horrible places to land in the world. While you're looking out over Lyall Bay, watching the surfers, wind/kite surfers (if wind conditions are right), you could also be eating some of the best NZ café food - and drinking the best flat white in the entire world.
A visit to Lyall Bay and Maranui Café is a must, especially if you can get a window seat to sit in, eat, drink and enjoy the views. It's my favourite café anywhere. The views include the beach, sea and surf, and planes landing and taking off from one of the more horrible places to land in the world. While you're looking out over Lyall Bay, watching the surfers, wind/kite surfers (if wind conditions are right), you could also be eating some of the best NZ café food - and drinking the best flat white in the entire world.
Take the Interislander
The Cook Strait ferries go across on their journey from Wellington to Picton (North Island to South Island). If you have a free day, and it's not blowing from the south, a return day trip on the Interislander isn't the worst way to spend it.
The Cook Strait ferries go across on their journey from Wellington to Picton (North Island to South Island). If you have a free day, and it's not blowing from the south, a return day trip on the Interislander isn't the worst way to spend it.
Hang by a thread
Take a cable car from Lambton Quay to the top and walk down via the Wellington Botanical Gardens. Watch out for the cricket ground halfway up, with the big fountain - one of the prettier views in Wellington.
Take a cable car from Lambton Quay to the top and walk down via the Wellington Botanical Gardens. Watch out for the cricket ground halfway up, with the big fountain - one of the prettier views in Wellington.
Oriental Parade is a man-made beach situated inside the harbour, just a few minutes' walk from the heart of the city. A family-friendly swimming beach, it's a great place to sit on the sand and soak in the sun. When the wind is down, a fountain erupts like a seaside geyser.
Chill at the mall
A wander and squander around Cuba Street Mall is a great way to get a feel of the more relaxed side of Wellington. From trinkets to tat, crafts to coffee, the bohemian to the famous Bucket Fountain, Cuba Street Mall has it all.
A wander and squander around Cuba Street Mall is a great way to get a feel of the more relaxed side of Wellington. From trinkets to tat, crafts to coffee, the bohemian to the famous Bucket Fountain, Cuba Street Mall has it all.
Te Papa is NZ's national museum. If the weather's a bit iffy, it's well worth spending half a day wondering and learning about NZ, its culture and history.
Climb up to Mt Victoria Lookout
It offers views across all of Wellington. Look north across the harbour and you'll see Petone, my hometown. On a good day, you'll see the Kiakora Mountain range on the South Island. Visit Jackson Street in Petone - it's where I'm from. And the coffee is great from any one of the many cafés. Oh, and look down - when you're walking past the adult shop, you'll see a plaque just past it with my name on it.
It offers views across all of Wellington. Look north across the harbour and you'll see Petone, my hometown. On a good day, you'll see the Kiakora Mountain range on the South Island. Visit Jackson Street in Petone - it's where I'm from. And the coffee is great from any one of the many cafés. Oh, and look down - when you're walking past the adult shop, you'll see a plaque just past it with my name on it.