I have to say that my first impressions of Wellington have completely exceeded my expectations. Having lived in Queenstown for the best part of three years I didn’t think that I would enjoy city life so much anymore. Boy was I wrong! When I arrived in Wellington the first thing I checked out was if there was any truth to the “Windy Welly” name that it had been branded with?
It turns out that yes, it is in fact gusty to the gills! I mean, there’s a reason that there’s a massive Wellington sign which appears to be caught in a gust of wind! One girl found out the tough way when her skirt blew right up just as a bus load of farmers from Taranaki pulled up outside Nomads Capital for a stag do. What a welcome they got!
The buzz around the city is awesome. There are so many different types of people. If Wellington was an American high school you could point out the jocks, the geeks, the hippies, the moshes, the trendy, the funny and the awesome kids. I loved the two guys rocking out on Cuba street as if they were headlining at the TSB Bank Arena and the slightly inebriated woman who danced along with them for a solid hour, even in between songs haha.
The harbour in Wellington is done so nicely with plenty of grassy areas to flake out and the cool island right down by the boat house. Grabbing an ice-cream and walking by the sea I came across three teenage boys with an old school boom box having a dance off! The next day I walked past a group of five kids waiting at a bus stop who just burst into song. Now that just does not happen enough in life! I walked the whole way back to the hostel with the biggest grin on my face.
Wellington has so much flare and Nomads Capital definitely has the personality to match. This quirky, beautiful building is situated right in the heart of things near to all of the bars, restaurants, the Opera House, Zealandia, Wellington Zoo, go karting and so many other wonderful places and activities that will keep you entertained for hours!
If you are, like I was, one of those people who skip cities on your travels because you are from one and want to avoid “just another city”, you need to change your mind and head to Wellington! Let it show you why it is the capital city. I dare you!