North island | Postcards From Here and There

36 Hours in Wellington

With only 36 hours in Wellington a good plan is essential. This is our guide as to how to spend that precious time.

Mount Victoria. A must for those awe inspiring 360 degree views of the city. I have posted a few photographs here
Take the cable car. Located at 280 Lambton Quay this is another way to get some good views. It is actually a funicular railway but don’t let that put you off. Cars run ever ten minutes and it costs 7.50NZD for a return trip. Once at the top you can visit the Cable Car Museum, The Observatory, the Botanic Gardens or simply grab some excellent coffee at The Kowhai Cafe before heading back down again.

3. Walk along the waterfront. A great free activity and always plenty so see. there are also numerous bars and restaurants along the way

4. Te Papa. The national museum of New Zealand is yet another free attraction. So good it deserved a post all on its own, You can read it here

5. Visit a gallery. We had hoped to visit The City Gallery, located in Civic Square, but it was closed until early March 2018 so made do with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, which is also free. Currently housing an exhibition of the 26th Annual Wallace At Awards winners.

6. Cuba Street. Reportedly Wellingtons coolest street. Partly pedestrianised it has an eclectic mixtures of buildings, shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.Time spent strolling up and down and exploring its heart is well worth doing.

7. Visit a bar and sample some of the many craft beers made in the city. here are three places worth a visit.

Fortune Favours – 7 Leeds Street and very close to Cuba Street. Opened in 2016. You can see the beer being brewed before your very eyes you sample some of their previous efforts. the beers are really rather good. Fortune Favours

Goldings Free Dive – 14 Leeds Street. A great bar that features some nice beers. The atmosphere in here is amazing even late afternoon. The Star Was memorabilia around the place keeps you busy making sure you spot it all. Goldings Free Dive

Mac’s Brewbar – 4 Taranaki Street. Down by the waterfront and with seating both inside and out. The beer is good and there is even a restaurant attached. They also have an interesting display of lampshades!

8. All the sightseeing will probably make you hungry, well it does to me, so here are couple of suggestions out of the many on offer.

Nikau Cafe – Round the back of The City Gallery and only open until 4pm so an ideal lunch spot.Get here early, the outside seating fills up very quickly with all tables taken by 12.30 on the day we visited. The cooking here is excellent and on par with many restaurants where you might have to pay considerably more, their kedgeree was outstanding. Nikau Cafe

Beach Babylon – 232 Oriental Parade. Directly opposite Wellingtons beach which I am led to believe was created by importing sand. Beach Babylon is open for breakfast at 8am until late. The cooking here was very good and reasonably priced. they have some great beers too. Beach Babylon

Te Papa

Te Papa is the national museum of New Zealand and is a wonderful place to spend half a day or more. We were so absorbed by some the exhibits on our visit that we completely lost track of the time. The museum attracts well over a million visitors a year and I doubt that any of them leave disappointed. Whats more, its free to visit.

Te Papa occupies an iconic location on the city waterfront and incorporates many of the features you would expect to see in a modern museum. I have never found the displays of death, in the form of stuffed animals, in the museums of my childhood to be particularly attractive places and as you would expect Te Papa largely avoids this route. Many of the displays are not only informative and engaging but are often interactive too.

The museum consists of six floors, not all open on our visit, which are dedicated to telling the story of New Zealand’s cultural, geological, biological and social history. Te Papa Tongarewa literally translates as “container of treasures” and I doubt there is a more apt name for a national museum.

We were particularly taken with the geological exhibits which explained New Zealand’s place on the pacific ring of fire and how volcanic activity and earthquakes have shaped the country. There is even a mock up house where you can stand and experience the feeling of the earth shaking beneath your feet. The biological area described flora and fauna and to course everyone likes a good dinosaur and this is one of new Zealand’s own. Unfortunately I forgot to record its name!

The most outstanding exhibits were those concerning Maori culture. They request that visitors do not take any photographs in this part of the museum and we of course complied. There were superbly intricate carvings on whale bone and in wood together with complete reconstructions of Maori dwellings and meeting places. It is hard to visit such places and not be affected by the richness of their culture and their sense of place and belonging on the land.

There is so much here and I believe that you could visit time and time over and find something new. I even found a display of postcards from New Zealand which I thought was quite apt considering the name of my website.

Hawkes Bay Wine Region Part 1

Hawkes Bay is situated on the east coast of New Zealand’s north island. It is the oldest and second largest of the wine growing regions in the country. Grape vines were first planted here as long ago as 1851. The climate in the region is well suited to grape growing; low rainfall, 2220 hours of sunshine annually on average, long growing conditions and cooling onshore breezes.

Vineyards are found around the cities of Napier and Hastings. these are also both interesting places to visit. The Hawkes Bay region was devastated by an earthquake in 1931 and the subsequent rebuilding meant that many buildings, especially in Napier, were built in the Art Deco style. Napier is now known as the Art Deco capital of the world!

There are three main clusters of wineries in the area that make planning visits carefully as the distances between them can be large. From the Napier vineyards to those around Bridge Pa/Gimblett Gravels near Hastings for example is a 18Km (11 mile) drive. We found the isite tourism information in Hastings to be particularly helpful in providing winery maps of Hawkes Bay along with wine and food guides and details of local bike hire. you can visit their website here

Church Road

Church Road Grand Reserve Chardonnay. 2016

Tropical fruits, nutty, marzipan flavour abound in this complex wine which has lovely balance. the finish is long and Lingering. Excellent.

Church Road. Classic Range Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon. 2016

Red fruit and plum flavours with some savoury and spicy notes. Medium bodied. A good everyday wine to have with food.

Church Road McDonald Series Merlot 2015

Good depth of colour to the wine. Dark berry fruits, plums. The palate is rich and full with warm spice, vanilla and a nice savoury finish.

Church Road Grand Reserve. Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2014

Great colour, red and black fruits, plums. Soft, round, hints of spice. Tannins integrating. Well balanced. Very nice wine

Church Road Grand Reserve. Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2013

Black fruits , plums abound in this very inviting wine. There is a touch of star anise to add a warming spice. Powerful with great depth and structure and a dry, spicy finish. Excellent.

Visit their website here

2. Te Mata

Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Very pale with feint lime tinge, with aromas of gooseberry and some tropical notes. Use of some oak gives a nice weight and depth. Nice finish

Te Mata Estate Chardonnay 2016

Peaches and lemon citrus in this very drinkable wine. A lighter style of chardonnay which is crisp and dry.

Te Mata Elston Chardonnay 2016

Single vineyard wine with 40 year old vines. Pale lemon, clear and bright. Lemon citrus, peach, toasty, vanilla give an intense flavour profile but without overpowering. Has nice weight and a long lingering finish. Excellent.

Te Mata Estate Gamay Noir 2017

Light cherry red. Aromas of cherry, strawberry, fruit chews, bubblegum. Light on the palate, fruity, easy drinking style of wine. This is s fun wine to be enjoyed now.

Te Mata Estate Vineyards Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Youthful in appearance this wine is full of black fruit and plums with a little spice. Palate has nice balance with tannins to soften a little. A wine for drinking with food.

Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2016

Youthful appearance with a great depth of colour. Aromas of black fruits, violets and a warm savoury/herby complexity. Palate is delightful and complex and there is a long savoury finish. Excellent.

Visit their website here