I spent 6 days in Wellington, New Zealand at the InterContinental Wellington hotel. The location was in the city center, and I was able to walk to everything. The wharf was in one direction, shopping in another, and the sights of the city in between. The hotel was had a huge presence in the Downtown area, covering almost a full block. The room and bed were as I like and come to expect from this hotel brand. They also had an executive lounge, where I enjoyed having free meals (breakfast and dinner… tea time is more desserts than actual lunch).
After raining for a couple of days, I ventured out into the city. I walked along the wharf and stopped to have lunch and people watch. This seemed to be the spot where the people in the office buildings would come to have lunch. Venturing past the wharf, I stumbled across the railway terminal, and a bit further was the Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library, the Beehive (also known as the Executive Wing), and Bowen House. There’s a stature of the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister in the front of the Parliament House. If you’re in the city, you should definitely stop by for a visit.
I took a 5-minute cable car ride from the city up through the hillside of Kelburn. You’re able to explore the botanical gardens, cable car museum, and stunning views of the city and the harbour. Visiting the botanical gardens was all downhill. I walked as far as I was comfortable with walking back up the hill. Which means, I didn’t go too far… LOL. But I was able to enjoy the natural beauty of along the path.
Another excursion was a ferry ride around the harbour, where I was able to see houses in the hillside and the mountains. As I mentioned earlier, the wharf area is where people came to eat and during dinner time, the restaurants are buzzing with people. I decided on a Mexican restaurant simply because it was overflowing with people, I figured the food must be good. And sure enough it was! I ordered what was called a monster taco. I wasn’t warned that the taco could feed at least 4 people (the pic below doesn’t show how huge it was). I gave up eating with maybe about half of it eaten. Also, while waiting for my food, I’m checking out the place. And the wall in front of me has a mural of Tupac, and there’s a small picture of Biggie Smalls (pic below). The owner of the place must be a fan.
Wellington is a smaller city than Auckland but has the same charm and beauty. Well worth a visit.
