{"id":223,"date":"2014-04-09T02:02:07","date_gmt":"2014-04-09T02:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/a-weekend-in-wellington\/"},"modified":"2022-04-21T00:26:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T00:26:16","slug":"a-weekend-in-wellington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/a-weekend-in-wellington\/","title":{"rendered":"A Weekend in Wellington"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the late summer sun shines over\u00a0Wellington<\/a>, the harbour sparkles under an endless blue sky.\u00a0Yes, the city located on the southern tip of New Zealand\u2019s North Island is known as Windy Wellington, but there\u2019s plenty of days when the weather is just right.<\/p>\n

Travellers flock to Wellington in Summer and during Easter, when the weather is at its warmest, but if your dates are flexible, you might pick up a good deal in June, July, September and October.<\/p>\n

Wellington is eclectic and yet corporate. As the capital city it\u2019s the power seat of NZ, but it also has a bohemian spirit. Suits strut purposefully along Lambton Quay, the baristas serve great coffee all day on Cuba Street.<\/p>\n

Cuba Street is in a state of metamorphosis. Some might say it\u2019s been an emerging butterfly for decades. These days the second-hand stores selling dubious wares are being replaced by vintage stores selling hand-picked hand-me-downs. They call it upcycling, but don\u2019t be fooled, you\u2019ll find 60s table lamps with new shades and Crown Lyn tableware that your nana used for sale for more than she would have spent on a week\u2019s groceries.<\/p>\n

Local fashion designers have opened shops, sometimes teaming up, sometimes going it alone, all providing a unique aspect on clothes, jewellery and decor.<\/p>\n

Expedia\u2019s Aussie travellers usually stay 2-3 days in Wellington and the hotels surrounding Cuba Street are often used as a base to exploring the city. The\u00a0Grand Mercure Wellington<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0West Plaza Hotel<\/a>\u00a0are always popular.<\/p>\n

Thirsty?<\/h2>\n

The cafes and bars on Cuba Steet are almost always packed. They\u2019ve perfected the hipster cool vibe \u2013 take your time to visit a few.<\/p>\n

I start at Laundry, where owner Matt Rutledge whips up his signature cocktail. He was served the drink on Johnny Depp\u2019s boat. What he was doing on the boat remains a mystery, but the cocktail is a moreish mix of Mt Gay Rum, ginger beer and freshly squeezed lemons with a dash of lime cordial.<\/p>\n

Next stop is hidden bar\/restaurant, Havana on Wigan Street. Walk through the Quality Hotel, out the rear door and around a corner, where tucked between industrial apartments and hotels, are two original wooden villas now home to a bar on one side of the narrow entrance and a tapas restaurant on the other.<\/p>\n

For an extra special secret spot, (no sign even on the door), take the staircase up to Hawthorne Lounge on Tory Street where locals play backgammon under the muted light of a candle and dark, moody d\u00e9cor lends itself to a quiet night in.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the late summer sun shines over\u00a0Wellington, the harbour sparkles under an endless blue sky.\u00a0Yes, the city located on the southern tip of New Zealand\u2019s North Island is known as Windy Wellington, but there\u2019s plenty of days when the weather is just right. Travellers flock to Wellington in Summer and during Easter, when the weather… Continue reading A Weekend in Wellington<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,2,4,30,6,86],"tags":[32,49,10,276],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-food","category-oceania","category-shopping","tag-foodie","tag-new-zealand","tag-tips","tag-wellington","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Weekend in Wellington | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/a-weekend-in-wellington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Weekend in Wellington | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the late summer sun shines over\u00a0Wellington, the harbour sparkles under an endless blue sky.\u00a0Yes, the city located on the southern tip of New Zealand\u2019s North Island is known as Windy Wellington, but there\u2019s plenty of days when the weather is just right. 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