Wellington, New Zealand for the Food & Wine Lover

Cable Car: For an amazing view, take the cable car up to the Wellington Botanic Garden. The view at the top is a sweeping view of the city below, the coastline and New Zealand’s jagged landscape. The cable car ride itself is a joy. Don’t skip out on the free cable car museum at the top, where you can learn about the history and how the cable car evolved over time.

Cuba Street: For a local Wellington experience, hang out and shop on Cuba Street. The main artery of the city center, Cuba Street is hard to miss. Many of the best restaurants and coolest shops are centrally located on or just off Cuba Street. Parts of Cuba Street are pedestrian only, and there are people everywhere. Cuba Street is where the action is in Wellington. It’s the perfect place to people watch, find a great used book, take photos in front of colorful street art, thrift a cool new outfit and feast!

Mount Victoria Lookout: There are an impressive amount of parks in Wellington. If you're looking for a lovely place to take a walk, have a picnic or people watch, you have countless options. Of all the parks, Mount Victoria Lookout is one you must see. The view is unmatched, and the larger park surrounding the lookout is expansive and gorgeous.

The New Zealand Portrait Gallery: A small but mighty art gallery located on the waterfront, The New Zealand Portrait Gallery is the perfect free museum to catch during your wanderings. This gallery features portrait paintings by New Zealand artists in many styles. With a focus on Maori culture, the insights you'll gain here are not to be missed!

Thrift Shops & Used Bookstores: Wellington is known for having an exceptional amount of quality op-shops. You could easily spend an entire afternoon amassing cool fashion and literary treasures in the shops in downtown Wellington. Don't miss out on this activity. Even if you don't buy anything. It's the perfect way to get a feel for the local culture.

Waterfront: For an amazing free activity, walk by the water. Wellington’s waterfront is a treasure. Follow the waterfront walk all the way along the city’s coastline, mingling with locals. Stop to admire the public art sprinkled along the walk or watch some brave souls dive into the chilly water at the public high dive. The waterfront walk is basically a public gathering space. Maybe you’ll catch a boisterous event, like the Wellington Dragon Boat Festival. Blend into the cheering crowd and pretend you've lived there for an hour or two.

Wellington Botanic Garden: After you take the cable car, the second, equally important view, is of the luscious gardens in the Wellington Botanic Garden. The variety of plants here is exceptional. Go wander through the plant life and pinch yourself that you get to see so much beauty for the low entry price of zero dollars!

Wellington Museum: If history is more your jam, The Wellington Museum is a must-see for you! Check out this small museum in a historic building located conveniently on the waterfront. I could not get enough when it came to learning about the history of New Zealand and Wellington. Highly recommend!

Day trips

Martinborough: Just outside of the city lies one of New Zealand’s most famous wine regions, Martinborough. Take advantage and hop in the car for an afternoon of visiting cellar doors. Winemaking in New Zealand is a thoughtful, hands-on process, and winemakers are excited to share about their craft with visitors! Plus, you’ll get to try some amazing wines.

Customs: For the perfect coffee shop experience, go to Customs, a Coffee Supreme shop. You’ll see Coffee Supreme being served all over New Zealand, but their own shops are a league above other cafes. Impeccably designed, the atmosphere will welcome you in. Order anything from the friendly baristas — any coffee or pastry on the menu is sure to be delicious — and grab a seat by the window. Watch the city wake up over one of the most perfect cups of coffee you’ll ever have.

Olive: In the middle of busy Cuba Street, there sits a cafe with a secret… a hidden courtyard! To be honest, I went to Olive just for the atmosphere — I had to sit in that secret garden and enjoy a meal. I was in for a pleasant surprise: it turns out the food is delicious too! Olive’s menu changes seasonally, based upon what is fresh. I recommend going for a brunch of (free-range) Eggs Benedict and a mimosa. You’re on vacation after all!

Kisa: For a nice Middle Eastern dinner, check out Kisa. Think warm pita accompanied with house-made hummus, tender flank steak dusted in bright herbs and served next to a mouthwatering sauce, fresh veggies paired with vinaigrette and seeds and herbs you wouldn’t expect. What could make this feast any better? The answer is flawless design. Share a bounty of flavorful dishes with your traveling companions in the chic dining room. Don’t forget to order a creative cocktail or a glass of New Zealand orange wine to perfectly accompany your meal.

Loretta: This is your place for a really nice pizza dinner. I am a sucker for wood-fired pizza, and at Loretta it’s sourdough! Plus it’s topped with local New Zealand ingredients like the beautiful green-lipped mussels. Loretta offers a great selection of natural wines to pair with the pizzas and creative veggie side dishes. Cheers to that!

The Ram: Go here for a creative take on Italian food. To box The Ram into one genre of cuisine doesn’t feel quite right. Yes, the menu leans toward Italian, but it’s filled with local ingredients and intriguing flavor combinations that leave your mind spinning. Their slogan is Good food, Good drinks, Good times. I couldn’t agree more.

Duck Island: For dessert, head to Duck Island Ice Cream. Duck Island was recommended to me by a native New Zealander as the best ice cream in New Zealand. People have strong opinions on ice cream, but it turns out, my source wasn’t exaggerating. The flavors of the hand-made, small-batch ice creams are creative and intriguing, plus, everything that is churned into the ice cream at Duck Island is made in-house. Talk about quality!

Golding's Free Dive: For craft beers in the perfect trendy dive bar atmosphere, check out Golding’s Free Dive. It’s casual, filled with locals, loud (in a fun way), and the beer list is extensive. Golding’s Free Dive is where to go if you’re feeling very chill and maybe want to meet some new friends.

Ascot: For a chill rooftop bar experience, go to Ascot. Located at the top of a lot of stairs, Ascot feels a bit like a speakeasy. It’s chiller and quieter than Golding’s. Music plays on a record player: the selection of vinyls is ever-growing as customers regularly contribute new records. The natural wine list here is short but full of treasures. If I had to pick a favorite place to drink in Wellington, Ascot is it.

Noble Rot: Go here for a classy wine bar. Recognized as one of the best wine bars in New Zealand, Noble Rot features a wine list of over five-hundred carefully-curated wines. The head sommelier is well-recognized in his field. He maintains relationships with small producers, and the wine list features many interesting wines from little-known producers all over the world. Noble Rot is where you should go if you want to have a fancy night out in Wellington. Maybe you’re going out for a nice dinner on your last night: start with a glass of wine and some oysters here.