48 Hours in Wellington

“Creative, well caffeinated and culinarily blessed, Wellington is surprisingly compact” and “is packed with cool-as cafes, boutique food factories and exceptional restaurants,” writes Nikki Marshall in an article for The Guardian, in which she shares her weekend itinerary’s highlights.

Some of her foodie highlights include Charley Noble – “a big and bustling bistro (…) that specialises in wood-fired cooking”, Logan Brown – “a much-loved veteran of Wellington’s fine-dining scene”, Ortega Fish Shack and Bar in Majoribanks Street and Ti Kouka Cafe in Willis Street.

If you are close to Dixon Street head to The Flight Coffee Hangar – “an airy, industrial space run by self-professed coffee geeks who cook up a damn fine breakfast”.

Booking one of Zest Food Tours’ is  a great way to get a taste of everything the foodie capital has to offer from glow-in-the-dark gelato at Gelissimo to sweets at the Wellington Chocolate Factory. Wellington also has a lively craft beer scene and many breweries offer tastings.

Sunday’s Harbourside market with fresh produce as well as food trucks from around the world is another highlight for foodies.

“No trip to the Kiwi capital is complete without an hour or more in the national museum”: Te Papa Tongarewa, according to Marshall.

For those who love art and culture, the City Gallery Wellington is worth a visit with exhibitions, guided tours, artists’ talks and live performances.

Tranquillity and relaxation is only a cable car ride away in Wellington. The cable car (leaving from Lambton Quay) drops you at Kelburn lookout next to the city’s 25ha botanical gardens.

From the gardens you can also access Zealandia and “dive into New Zealand’s natural history and turn the clock back 800 years, before the first Polynesian explorers reached these islands.”

Article Source: The Guardian, Nikki Marshall, November 30, 2015

Image Source: Flickr – Kristina D.C. Hoeppner