A (girls) weekend in Wellington
Here’s what happened…
View from the Cable Car
No girl’s weekend would be complete without shopping; and Wellington makes this easy with a compact CBD. Although nothing is too far away, there is the odd steep street so it’s best to avoid the heels and stick to the ballet flats for a day of retail therapy.
Bucket Fountain on Cuba St
Cuba Street Mall
We start on Cuba Street, which offers an eclectic mix of second hand stores, local designers and international brands. For chocolate fans there is the Wellington Chocolate Factory on Eva Street, (just off Dixon Street) which offers organic, ethically traded chocolate, made on site. We enjoy some of the Salted Brittle Caramel Chocolate and coffees while watching the chocolate being made. Omnom!
Wellington Chocolate factory
As pretty as it tastes
From Cuba Street, it’s down to the waterfront to visit my favourite market – the Underground market. Open every Saturday from 10am – 4pm, the market is chocka’ block full of locally made clothing, jewellery, beauty products, artwork and more.
After all that shopping, it’s time for some lunch and the waterfront has some great options. The relatively new Crab Shack is a little bit of fun and offers great food. As the name suggests there is an abundance of crab dishes as well as a selection of other seafood and red meat. The Cloudy Bay Clams by the scoop with horopito tomato sauce is definitely a goer as is the tempura soft shell crab.
After refueling, it’s a short walk to the top of Lambton Quay for some more shopping. All the big brands are here but the gem of the shopping area has to be Kircaldies and Stains. Kirk’s, as the locals call it, has been operating as a department store since 1863. If you happen to be there in December their Christmas Shop is a must visit.
Te Papa
If you’re all shopped out then Te Papa, the national museum, truly offers something for everyone from Maori Culture to Dinosaurs. In our case, an art exhibit is more inline with the girls weekend theme.
After a day of shopping/eating it’s definitely a good idea to have a hotel close to everything. A great option when travelling with a group is Boulcott Suites, just off Willis Street at the top of Lambton Quay.
Boulcott Suites
Boulcott Suites offers townhouses with one to four bedrooms. My friends and I share a two-bedroom townhouse, which has plenty of room for the four of us. The huge kitchen and lounge area is perfect for us to relax in before dinner. There’s also two bathrooms so we aren’t squabbling over the mirror or shower. It also has a courtyard where we enjoy a pre-dinner drink before hitting the town.
The dinner options in Wellington are endless and offer whichever cuisine or price range you’re looking for. We want somewhere special so head to Matterhorn on Cuba Street.
Matterhorn
You can’t kick off a dinner at Matterhorn properly without a stop in the bar for one of their legendary cocktails and the Churracusson Cairpirnha gets the big tick from me. Next, it’s through to the dining room for our three courses of absolute deliciousness (I know my days as a food reviewer are numbered). Everything is great and the pork, described as a plate of pig, is my personal favourite served with a yummy walnut and cider sauce.
Girls Night in Wellington
Once we’re full to the brim (again), it’s out into the Wellington nightlife for some more cocktails. Alice’s cocktail bar behind Boogie Nights is a long time favourite of mine. The bar is Alice and Wonderland themed and many of the cocktails are served in teapots. I can’t go past the Queen of Hearts, Plum Daiquiri. This is seriously my favourite cocktail of all time – and believe me I’ve had a couple. 😉
The next morning starts off a little slow but once we check out of Boulcott Suites it’s a quick walk to Neo Café on Willis Street for some rejuvenating coffee before heading to the airport for our flights home.
We are exhausted but still smiling with our bags and belly’s both about to burst after a weekend of pure indulgence. Wellington, we’ll be back.
Have you been to Wellington? What did you get up to? Tell us in the comments.
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