After a seven day New Zealand North Island road trip it was nice to spend a few days in the capital of New Zealand (and in the same bed).
Sunday
4:51 pm
After successfully, and by that I mean safely completing our North Island road trip a small celebration was in order. So the Missus and I made our way to The Arborist Rooftop Bar for a Lychee Margarita, Tautara Regenerate Pilsner, House Made Falafel with Tzatziki, and a #AARBeerOclock view. The beer, falafel and eighth floor view were excellent.
5:43 pm
We then moved on to Dirty Little Secret, another rooftop bar just down Dixon Street. They were offering a special of "Nacho Burger + Beer" for $40 NZD. When I placed my beer order, I was informed that they meant exactly what they said, and I subsequently was drinking a white can labeled "BEER." It got even worse though, as the "BEER" was the best part of the equation.
It wasn't a total loss as I struck up a conversation with my two BEERtenders, who provided me with a list of things to do in Wellington. A possible downside of having bartenders generate a to-do list is that it included eight bars. "I'm only her for three nights," I clarified, "but I'll do what I can."
7:15 pm
After depositing Mrs. AAR back at home, I figured I needed to get after it, so I hit the first bar on my new to-do list, The Library. It gives off a speakeasy vibe and by that I mean a hard to find entrance and like my two prior stops a drink menu containing cocktails with names like Malibu Barbie Princess and Falling Holy Water that contain ingredients like olive oil, Tangelo liqueur, and dill oil. Now I'm with progress but sometimes a man just needs a drink, so I ordered a Flackhattan with a New Zealand whiskey named Waitui (whah·too·ee). Tasty, though the atmosphere was a little off due to a server sitting next to me at the bar folding table linens.
Monday
11:02 am
I don't necessarily select the location of my morning coffee based on the quality of the coffee, but based on the quality of the ambiance of the space where I drink it. As Evil Twins had an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman sitting in the window, empty, I knew it would be a good place to watch the world go by whilst enjoying a café americano and a chocolate chip cookie.
12:17 pm
Prior to visiting I didn't know much about the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, known locally as Te Papa, only that everyone I spoke to recommended it. When I entered, I noticed an exhibit called "Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War," and made a beeline for it like I was the guy in that Best Buy commercial who ditches his wife and starts sprinting as soon as he gets through the front door.
My early knowledge of New Zealand is largely based on its participation in both world wars, so I was thankful that this exhibit about this seminal WWI ANZAC battle was excellent, containing the perfect mix of 3-D graphics, meticulous models, artifacts and personal stories. There are a number of larger than life size statues (2.4x) that are quite vivid, and overpowering but yet incredibly verisimilar.
They were created by WETA Workshops, the special effects people behind The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. While I find the whole Tolkien fantasy world a bunch of ridiculousness, I was thankful that at least it resulted in these eight incredible works of art.
The balance of the museum seemed a little weak and unfocused, though after the Gallipoli exhibit the rest of the place didn't stand a chance.
4:01 pm
Because it was on my Dirty Little Secret's List (see above), I stopped by the The Ram for some incredible juicy and large Te Kouma Bay oysters and a baby Negroni. One thing that I have noticed in my recent travels to Canada and now New Zealand, classic cocktails tend to be a little smaller than I'm accustomed to . . . maybe the metric system's to blame?
Our server mentioned if we needed further refreshment we should go to . . .
4:51 pm
So even though it was not on the list, we stopped in at Puffin. Well that and none of the other places on the list were open yet. This is a really cool place. My bartender Asha came all the way from Edinburgh to serve us a white wine tutorial followed by olives and a David Mureau Bourgogne Aligoté.
Asha then made her own list, and I became quite concerned as I hadn’t made much of a dent in the first one. This second list included a tapas restaurant with her highest recommendation, Highwater. There was an issue though, we didn't have a reservation. So we hustled over there and through sheer will power, charisma and salesmanship I managed to get a seat at the bar.
5:32 pm
Highwater delivered us the best meal we had in New Zealand, hands down. Starting with a few more Te Kouma Bay oysters, this time: two natural, two roasted with chickpea miso butter, and two with quince vinegar sorbet. Followed by roast cabbage with tamari dressing and ricotta gnocchi with cavolo nero.
7:15 pm
Decided to walk off dinner by heading north up Lamberton Quay (for some unknown reason pronounced "key"). You know you are walking the streets of the capital of a member of the British Commonwealth when you come across a cenotaph that honours the dead of both world wars. In this case the Wellington Cenotaph.
Tuesday
10:19 am
Per Asha's list, The Oatery was visited for a cup of coffee and seasonal porridge with rhubarb. A very fortifying way to start off the day.
There is no drip coffee in New Zealand, which leaves a coffee drinker two options: the long black or the café americano. They use different techniques, but since a café americano is larger, and therefore more American, this is the option I always select.
12:15 pm
The Wellington Cable Car is a funicular up to Kelburn. Built in 1902 for commuters, much like the Hong Kong Peak Tram, it is now a tourist attractions allowing visitors to enjoy views of Wellington Harbour, access to the Wellington Botanical Garden and a Parrotdog Pilsner at the Cable Top Eatery.
2:31 pm
A very pleasant walk down through the Wellington Botanic Garden and adjoining Bolton Street Cemetery, that spit us out at . . .
3:34 pm
The New Zealand Parliament Buildings. I took the opportunity to sit in the visitors' gallery and watch parliament in action. What interested me was that in 1951, New Zealand eliminated its upper house (the Legislative Council), which I thought could be an idea for the United States to consider. Not sure it would result in any better decisions, but it would definitely result in lower Opex.
Parliament House was built in 1922 in the neoclassical style (as is the US Capitol), while an adjoining building built in the 70s called the “Beehive” houses the executive branch, which has become a metonym for it. An interesting juxtaposition of new and old.
Only sat down but a few minutes, as the New Zealand House of Representatives is as boring as the American one.
4:15 pm
A Mac's Gold, Thomas & Rose Watermelon & Cucumber Cider and some Camembert at The Old Bailey.
After finishing my Mac's Gold I noticed that one of the bars from my first to-do list, the Concrete Bar was just across the street. I gave it the go-by as discretion is the better part of valour.¹
5:55 pm
I then hoofed it to the top of Mount Victoria for a different perspective on downtown Wellington. Though it started raining en-route making the trail a little dicey, I persevered. It was all much like my life, as all my hard work was rewarded when I reached the top.
Wednesday
8:45 am
Underway on the MS Kaiarahi, transiting the Cook Strait, enroute Picton and the start of a New Zealand Road Trip: The South Island.
Lodgings
I found Wellington hotels to be a conundrum, as the ratings in booking.com and Expedia contradicted each other. In the end I went with the Gilmer Apartment Hotel
due to its Central Business District location, its rating and that it included parking (for our rental car). It received an 8.3 on booking.com, but the room photos were rather ordinary, while similar nearby hotels had much nicer photos but much worse ratings.
The place also had some weird smells, which ranged from cinnamon in the hallway to a funk in our shoe box size room that was traced to incense sticks placed in a bottle of liquid (which was subsequently banished to the front desk). It had a washer/dryer which was very useful after being on the road for some 35 days.
Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that while vaguely interesting did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to read.
¹ I might have mentioned skipping the Concrete Bar to make it obvious that I was drinking the Mac's Gold and not the Watermelon & Cucumber Cider.
Comments