Wellington: A Considerably Compact Capital

With so much stunning countryside to get around, our itinerary for New Zealand left little time for the major cities. During our stay in Auckland we noted there wasn’t much that set it apart from any other urban centre, and we held the same expectation for Wellington. Eager to make the jump from North to South Island, we scheduled just two nights in the capital city. 

After so many months of travel, the lengthy bus journeys were really beginning to grate on us, and we passed the five hour trip to Wellington in a state of constant agitation. By the time we had arrived and checked into our hostel, it was 9:30pm, and there was just one thing on our minds: dinner. In any other capital city you would expect to find a string of late night eateries at your disposal. But not in Wellington. Scouring the city streets, we spotted a fish and chip shop. ‘Perfect!’ we thought. Until we saw the ‘closed’ sign hanging defiantly in the door. Next we came across a takeaway curry place. Same story. Indeed, as we continued wandering our search did not prove any more fruitful, and we were eventually forced to admit defeat, and head to McDonald’s.  

By day the scene was a considerably more lively one, with shoppers and commuters filling the city streets. We made a beeline for Te Papa museum, which was top of our Wellington agenda. Whilst their educational value can’t be argued, museums aren’t typically the subject of mass excitement. For this reason we were eager to see what all the fuss was about, after countless travellers had animatedly insisted that we “simply must” visit Te Papa whilst in Wellington. Well, after two hours we had barely scratched the surface, covering just one of the museums multiple floors. The displays were so impressive and detailed, the fact that entry was free really blew our minds! In particular we were both bowled over by a section on the Battle of Gallipoli, which we agreed was the best WW1 exhibition we had ever seen. You could easily spend an entire day wandering the museums many halls, but as we just one day to explore the entire city, a few hours was all our time budget would afford us. 

As the title suggests, we found Wellington to be surprisingly small for a capital city. So small, in fact, that we managed to walk it’s entire circumference in just a few hours. Hardly comparable to the monstrous mazes of London and New York! From the top of Mt Victoria (a popular view point) we surveyed the compact city, marvelling at the miniature airport and wondering how large planes could take off on such a small runway. Still, what it lacked in size it made up for in character. The streets were lined with quirky coffee shops and ornate buildings, making it (in our eyes) a preferable option over it’s rival city, Auckland. 

And so concluded our time in New Zealand’s North island. Overlooked by many in favour of its southern sister, we had found the North Island to be be bursting with beauty and culture, and well worthy of the two and a half weeks we had devoted to it, if not more.  The south would now have a lot to live up to! 

Auckland Ahoy!

Rolling green hills. Snow capped mountains. Maori tribes. Hobbits. These are just a few things that have become synonymous with New Zealand, and have helped solidify the country’s status as a popular tourist destination. Eager to cram in as many of New Zealand’s scenic and cultural highlights as possible, we allowed ourselves 6 weeks to explore both the north and south islands. We had done our homework, and compiled a considerably lengthy list of activities we wanted to do during our stay. It would be an action-packed 6 weeks that would no doubt leave us physically and financially exhausted, but it seemed a fitting ending to what had been an incredible round the world trip.

Our journey began on a less than picturesque note: wandering the streets of Auckland, New Zealand’s bustling urban hub, at 1am. Housing roughly a third of the country’s population, the city is little more than a business and shopping district. Still, a four night stay would allow us to settle in, plot an itinerary, and acclimatise to the crisp temperatures (plus stock up on the appropriate clothing!) The first thing that struck us about Auckland was the homelessness. Day and night the streets were teeming with homeless people, and it seemed to be the same sad story that we had witnessed in Australia; the indigenous people were the ones suffering. The history of the Maori people and their cultural customs was something that greatly interested us both, which we intended to educate ourselves on throughout our stay in New Zealand. We got off to a good start thanks to Auckland museum, which provided a thorough timeline of the country’s significant historical events, dating from the first Polynesian settlers to New Zealand’s involvement in the world wars. The fact that we had dodged the $25 entry fee thanks to a membership card from a fellow traveller didn’t hurt either!

Less cultural but equally cool, we also paid a visit to the city’s sky tower. The tallest building in the southern hemisphere, the tower has become something of a national landmark. The observation deck provided some impressive views of the sprawling centre, and the cafe provided some delicious lasagna! As well as viewing the city from an internal perspective, we took a train out to the suburbs, to view the city skyline from Mount Eden. Less dramatic than it sounds, Mount Eden is merely a hill that has become a popular lookout, not, as the name suggests, a mountain. Nevertheless the panoramic views of Auckland’s famous skyline, tower included, were well worth the visit. With a few hours wandering round the shops and a trip to the cinema thrown in, our time in Auckland was pleasant enough. Truth be told, though, we couldn’t wait to get out of the city, and begin exploring the real New Zealand.