CAPITAL CITY
A star- struck Wellingtonian shares her favourite spots
ORIENTAL PARADE, 6.30AM. The sky is still dark on a crisp morning in late autumn and the city lights are reflected in the calm waters of Wellington Harbour. A cruise ship, escorted by two tugs, is progressing to the dock while a workaday ferry starts its journey to Picton. Runners and dog-walkers exchange nods and hellos. It’s all very serene, until a little knot of fishermen erupt into shouts. One of them proudly displays his catch, a gleaming 27-kilogram kingfish that’s nearly half his size. His mates, clutching takeaway coffees, look on admiringly. This is what Wellington’s all about – and it can always surprise.
Whether resident or a visitor, Wellington is often reduced to a series of clichés. It’s windy. It’s hilly. It’s full of politicians and public servants. It has lots of cafés. Everyone wears black and drinks craft beer. All of these things are true – at least to some degree – but it’s wrong to believe that that’s all there is to it. To truly get to know Wellington’s hidden secrets (such as the fact that there are monster kingfish just waiting to be caught off Oriental Bay beach), leave the preconceptions at home.
Look to go a little off-piste while ticking off the big must-dos on the list. Of course Te Papa Tongarewa is a must. It’s the mighty Museum of New Zealand, and always full of people examining Aotearoa’s