Wellington: in the Capital

Wellington is a beautiful city, surrounded by hills, bays and the ocean. The city is very hilly and you are usually driving uphill or downhill, rarely flat; the views are breathtaking. We stopped at the Mount Victoria lookout, which has a gorgeous 360 degree view of the entire city. The neighborhoods are very quaint with plenty of cafes, restaurants, and shops.

We spent some time walking on Cuba Street, which has a pedestrian section full of hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, and an interesting mix of art deco and modern architecture. We also drove around the Newtown neighborhood.

The city has lots of very interesting historical buildings, modern structures, and beautifully painted murals.





Food: The food in Wellington is quite good. There weren't many places open, so we had some chicken and burgers at the Five Boroughs, a very cool dive. The next day we had brunch at Flordititas Cafe and Restaurant on Cuba Street and the food and service were excellent. We had dinner at The Bresolin in the Te Aro neighborhood. Again, both the food and service were quite good.

Lodging: We stayed at a studio apartment at 10 Orchard Street. We had to climb about 3 stories of steep stairs to get to our room, with luggage.We had only one window with a view, but the view was a nice one--Wellington Harbour.