From Rotorua we headed south to Wellington, the capital where we were going to be for my 31st birthday.
As part of my birthday day out Mike organised for us to go to the Zoo for the morning. So we packed a picnic and headed to Newtown to Wellington Zoo. The place itself is only small and can easily be walked around in a few hours.
We enjoyed watching the chimpanzees where we stayed to hear a talk about them as well as seeing lots of New Zealand's indigenous creatures as well as those from further abroad.
Favourite activity No.2 - Walking along the harbour front
The harbour in Wellington has a very different vibe to that in Auckland and it was really nice to walk along the front, watching people as they cycled, ran, rollerbladed or kayaked around it. As I mentioned it is a lot more chilled out than Auckland's harbour but that doesn't mean it is lacking in things to do. There are lots of bars and cafes to enjoy as well as New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, which is free. We went in to both.
Te papa is a great interactive experience with so many different exhibits it is well worth a visit.
The bars and restaurants range from very posh to sports bar type. On my birthday evening we headed into Mac's Brewery on the front (Mike has taken a liking to Mac's Brew - a local beer) for some drinks and dinner.
There is also a lot of great artwork and sculptures to enjoy on the waterfront. My favourite was a water fountain depicting an anchor, whereas Mike like the bridge over the flyover designed like a ship.
Favourite activity No.3 - Cuba street coffee and cakes
Cuba street is THE street in Wellington to go to if you want cheap, international food or great coffee and cakes. Endless coffee shops make choosing a place hard but we had to stop and pop into iconic Fidels for a long black coffee (mike), salted caramel hot chocolate (me) and a piece of chocolate cake. Yum. We also heard Sweet Mothers Kitchen is great but we didn't get a chance to go there. If in Wellington make sure you don't miss out.
Aside from our top three favourites we also enjoyed the Botanical Gardens and city beaches which are definitely worth a visit if you have time.
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