Could you help me discover Wellington?
January 28, 2023 5:34 PM Subscribe
I will be staying in Wellington, New Zealand for the entirety of the southern hemisphere Autumn. I've been devouring everything about it but I want more: I'm a photographer and I want to make a project out of my stay. What should I witness in the city?
Not looking for project ideas but I want to know interesting things about the city. It doesn't matter if it's visually interesting or not, I'm after non-touristy things that make the city what it is.
Not looking for project ideas but I want to know interesting things about the city. It doesn't matter if it's visually interesting or not, I'm after non-touristy things that make the city what it is.
Best answer: I live in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington (also called Pōneke by some). I moved here from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland at the beginning of the year for work, and will be leaving again in a few weeks - primarily for family reasons but me and Wellington just haven't clicked. Having said that, there are things I love and will miss about this place. It's just not the right season of my life for this city.
I just want to start by saying I absolutely second everything written above, especially regarding housing. I live in a shitty old 'heritage' house in Mt Victoria. Luckily no mould, but it is so fucking cold in winter. The weather here (by Aotearoa standards) is pretty yuck. The wind is a defining characteristic of Wellington. Most sunny days, for me, are spoiled by the wind. I'm certainly a big baby when it comes to the weather though, as I tend to feel the cold much worse than others. Wellington gave me my first-ever bout of eczema and I'm still mad about it, to be honest.
My boyfriend often remarks that he feels as if Wellington is a city that shouldn't be, but in a way that makes him marvel at its existence. Houses are shoved into the side of hills, perched so precariously giving the number of slips that occur during the aforementioned garbage weather. The wind just doesn't want you to have your way some days. People try so hard to make the environment bend to their will but Wellington would certainly never allow that. I feel like Wellington is a living, not always thriving metaphor for resilience. People zoom around the narrow hill roads in their cars with such unearned confidence. There are gigantic staircases that take you from the low thoroughfare roads up to the hilly suburbs. Some houses are only accessible by personal cable car. You need STAMINA for this city, some days. And on the nice days, you go down to the waterfront, watch people do bombs (cannonballs) into the harbour while you eat gelato and think about how fucking lucky you are to live in such a beautiful city.
Wellington is the capital, and as such Government is centred here. I don't have anything particularly deep to say on the topic but it seems to me that this heavily shapes many day-to-day practicalities of Wellington. The Lambton Quay end of town pretty much only exists Mon - Fri and public transport can be comically terrible on the weekends (as opposed to it being just generally unreliable during the week).
Wellington Museum (not Te Papa, though you should absolutely go there) is a good place to wander and get a feel for the history of the city. I'd also recommend a trip out to Matiu/Somes Island. Definitely touristy but holds some important history about this area, both Pākehā and Māori. Bolton Street cemetery is also touristy in a sense but it's well worth your time.
posted by BeeJiddy at 8:12 PM on January 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
I just want to start by saying I absolutely second everything written above, especially regarding housing. I live in a shitty old 'heritage' house in Mt Victoria. Luckily no mould, but it is so fucking cold in winter. The weather here (by Aotearoa standards) is pretty yuck. The wind is a defining characteristic of Wellington. Most sunny days, for me, are spoiled by the wind. I'm certainly a big baby when it comes to the weather though, as I tend to feel the cold much worse than others. Wellington gave me my first-ever bout of eczema and I'm still mad about it, to be honest.
My boyfriend often remarks that he feels as if Wellington is a city that shouldn't be, but in a way that makes him marvel at its existence. Houses are shoved into the side of hills, perched so precariously giving the number of slips that occur during the aforementioned garbage weather. The wind just doesn't want you to have your way some days. People try so hard to make the environment bend to their will but Wellington would certainly never allow that. I feel like Wellington is a living, not always thriving metaphor for resilience. People zoom around the narrow hill roads in their cars with such unearned confidence. There are gigantic staircases that take you from the low thoroughfare roads up to the hilly suburbs. Some houses are only accessible by personal cable car. You need STAMINA for this city, some days. And on the nice days, you go down to the waterfront, watch people do bombs (cannonballs) into the harbour while you eat gelato and think about how fucking lucky you are to live in such a beautiful city.
Wellington is the capital, and as such Government is centred here. I don't have anything particularly deep to say on the topic but it seems to me that this heavily shapes many day-to-day practicalities of Wellington. The Lambton Quay end of town pretty much only exists Mon - Fri and public transport can be comically terrible on the weekends (as opposed to it being just generally unreliable during the week).
Wellington Museum (not Te Papa, though you should absolutely go there) is a good place to wander and get a feel for the history of the city. I'd also recommend a trip out to Matiu/Somes Island. Definitely touristy but holds some important history about this area, both Pākehā and Māori. Bolton Street cemetery is also touristy in a sense but it's well worth your time.
posted by BeeJiddy at 8:12 PM on January 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Some great points above, and so some other things to look out for and experience:
And yes, the wind is largely featured as Wellington typically receives more than gale force winds more than 180 days a year.
But Wellington is a city of optimists: the local saying is "nothing beats Wellington on a good day", as people so often continue to look forward to the good times, and fondly look back on the good times, rather than focussing on the negative.
Most areas are within a reasonable walking distance, and because of all the hills, the average level of fitness here seems higher than other places in general.
People from all walks of life catch the buses, and thank the drivers!
There are at least three university campuses here, so that brings the rotating fresh ideas energy of many students.
Wellington for me has always been less of a city for tourism, and much more about a city for locals.
It's typical to have conversations with people, there's not the same rush I'd see in places like Auckland.
- Newtown (a little south of the Wellington Central), a comparatively cheaper suburb of the city with lots of independent shops and food places. Only 30 minutes walk from town. Not yet taken over by too many chains.
- So many great (and often cheap) food options (restaurants & takeaways) throughout Wellington, especially for vegetarians and vegans. Lots of reviews online depending on your preferences and price budget.
- Cuba Street, that was my most commonly visited street in the city, particularly for food options, but many other independent retailers too, particularly towards the upper (southern) end. ie small exhibitions at Thistle Hall.
- Coffee.. Wellington has so many incredible baristas and coffee shops. The basic coffee standard here seems to be exceptional for so many other places in the world. Flat Whites are the go to common choice. We also have places like 'Raglan Roast' that use an honesty book for regulars to pay $20 in advance, draw little boxes next to your name in a book on the counter, and then you tick off your coffees yourself as the barista makes it for you.
- The Circus Hub - Aotearoa's largest circus school, just on the edge of the city / Newtown (but still not often known about by many locals). A bunch of circus classes 7 days a week for adults and young people (beginner to advanced), along with a practice / training space for local performing artists who produce incredible shows locally.
- The Roxy Cinema, in Miramar. A beautiful small movie theatre, near the airport and studios. Sign up to their newsletter and you might get to see special screenings for $1.
- free mountain biking trails. All around 'Mount Vic' and further afield. If that's your thing.
Socially, Wellington is what I considered the perfect size of 'anything you want to do, you'll
likely find a group of people wanting to do it too'. So many overlapping social circles, that in a short while, someone you know will know someone else you want to know. 2 degrees of connection is massively prevalent here. People are pretty social in whatever niche interests you may already have.
posted by many-things at 12:05 PM on January 29, 2023
And yes, the wind is largely featured as Wellington typically receives more than gale force winds more than 180 days a year.
But Wellington is a city of optimists: the local saying is "nothing beats Wellington on a good day", as people so often continue to look forward to the good times, and fondly look back on the good times, rather than focussing on the negative.
Most areas are within a reasonable walking distance, and because of all the hills, the average level of fitness here seems higher than other places in general.
People from all walks of life catch the buses, and thank the drivers!
There are at least three university campuses here, so that brings the rotating fresh ideas energy of many students.
Wellington for me has always been less of a city for tourism, and much more about a city for locals.
It's typical to have conversations with people, there's not the same rush I'd see in places like Auckland.
- Newtown (a little south of the Wellington Central), a comparatively cheaper suburb of the city with lots of independent shops and food places. Only 30 minutes walk from town. Not yet taken over by too many chains.
- So many great (and often cheap) food options (restaurants & takeaways) throughout Wellington, especially for vegetarians and vegans. Lots of reviews online depending on your preferences and price budget.
- Cuba Street, that was my most commonly visited street in the city, particularly for food options, but many other independent retailers too, particularly towards the upper (southern) end. ie small exhibitions at Thistle Hall.
- Coffee.. Wellington has so many incredible baristas and coffee shops. The basic coffee standard here seems to be exceptional for so many other places in the world. Flat Whites are the go to common choice. We also have places like 'Raglan Roast' that use an honesty book for regulars to pay $20 in advance, draw little boxes next to your name in a book on the counter, and then you tick off your coffees yourself as the barista makes it for you.
- The Circus Hub - Aotearoa's largest circus school, just on the edge of the city / Newtown (but still not often known about by many locals). A bunch of circus classes 7 days a week for adults and young people (beginner to advanced), along with a practice / training space for local performing artists who produce incredible shows locally.
- The Roxy Cinema, in Miramar. A beautiful small movie theatre, near the airport and studios. Sign up to their newsletter and you might get to see special screenings for $1.
- free mountain biking trails. All around 'Mount Vic' and further afield. If that's your thing.
Socially, Wellington is what I considered the perfect size of 'anything you want to do, you'll
likely find a group of people wanting to do it too'. So many overlapping social circles, that in a short while, someone you know will know someone else you want to know. 2 degrees of connection is massively prevalent here. People are pretty social in whatever niche interests you may already have.
posted by many-things at 12:05 PM on January 29, 2023
Best answer: Hi, I was born in Wellington and have lived here for 40 years (with another 10 in London). I agree with the gist of what people have written above, with some disagreement, or updated information (e.g. house prices have crashed and are likely to fall further).
Thinking about the essential character of Wellington:
*the hills, and the way the houses cling to them
*the hills, and how important they are for recreation - trail running, mountain biking: one can be on a trail that is within 1km of houses, but feel like it's the wilderness; it's possible to run from Johnsonville, north of the city, to the south coast, almost totally on trails.
*the often beautiful but always cold houses (apartments and newer houses are better, and the government has brought in stricter standards for rental properties that should help)
*public transport is relatively important, at least compared to the rest of NZ
*the narrow, winding streets (side note, driving in NZ is a lot harder than in say Europe or the USA - the terrain is rugged and we don't have enough of a population to make wide smooth motorways - you'll laugh when you see our main inter-city roads)
*The wind: look, you have to love the weather here, and it's not for everyone. It never gets really cold, or really hot, but this isn't the place to come if you are looking for a Mediterranean climate. Sometimes, especially if you're running the trails, you have to celebrate the wild energy of the wind and the rain, and embrace it (I mean, the main chant for our football team is "we've got the wind and the rain and the Phoenix / oh Wellington is wonderful").
*cafes and op-shops and so on around Cuba St in the city and Newtown in the south: some degree of character here
*the poor (but improving!) state of the inner city: we need to upgrade a number of buildings due to an earthquake, this coincided with COVID lockdowns and staff shortages meaning everything is delayed - Courtenay Place is the major mainstream entertainment district but has a lot of closed buildings
*street characters: because the city is so small, everyone in Wellington knows some of the local street figures/homeless by sight, by nickname or even by name. When Rob "Bucket Man" Jones died he had 600 at his funeral and it was literally the main story in the paper, while appearing in cartoons; Ben "Blanket Man' Hana had a documentary made about him. (Homelessness has been an increasing problem here over the past few decades, though as far as I know both Jones and Hana chose to live on the streets and refused most help).
*And then famous animals like Mittens the cat, who would wander the central city (you're no-one unless you've managed a selfie with Mittens, but he left us for Auckland a few years ago); and Matariki the Whale.
*Finally noting your location, you might be interested in the Ataturk Memorial. Gallipoli looms very large in the NZ mindset due to the number of NZers involved and it being one of the first overseas battles we fought, and the anniversary is our equivalent of Veterans' Day. There's also a sense of respect for the Turks, even if we don't really know anything much about Turkey [as well as an element of "what the hell were we doing invading Turkey?" and a sense of guilt].
We haven't had a meetup in Wellington in probably a decade, but you should call one when you get here if you want. I'm sure we can get a few people along
posted by Pink Frost at 4:12 PM on January 29, 2023
Thinking about the essential character of Wellington:
*the hills, and the way the houses cling to them
*the hills, and how important they are for recreation - trail running, mountain biking: one can be on a trail that is within 1km of houses, but feel like it's the wilderness; it's possible to run from Johnsonville, north of the city, to the south coast, almost totally on trails.
*the often beautiful but always cold houses (apartments and newer houses are better, and the government has brought in stricter standards for rental properties that should help)
*public transport is relatively important, at least compared to the rest of NZ
*the narrow, winding streets (side note, driving in NZ is a lot harder than in say Europe or the USA - the terrain is rugged and we don't have enough of a population to make wide smooth motorways - you'll laugh when you see our main inter-city roads)
*The wind: look, you have to love the weather here, and it's not for everyone. It never gets really cold, or really hot, but this isn't the place to come if you are looking for a Mediterranean climate. Sometimes, especially if you're running the trails, you have to celebrate the wild energy of the wind and the rain, and embrace it (I mean, the main chant for our football team is "we've got the wind and the rain and the Phoenix / oh Wellington is wonderful").
*cafes and op-shops and so on around Cuba St in the city and Newtown in the south: some degree of character here
*the poor (but improving!) state of the inner city: we need to upgrade a number of buildings due to an earthquake, this coincided with COVID lockdowns and staff shortages meaning everything is delayed - Courtenay Place is the major mainstream entertainment district but has a lot of closed buildings
*street characters: because the city is so small, everyone in Wellington knows some of the local street figures/homeless by sight, by nickname or even by name. When Rob "Bucket Man" Jones died he had 600 at his funeral and it was literally the main story in the paper, while appearing in cartoons; Ben "Blanket Man' Hana had a documentary made about him. (Homelessness has been an increasing problem here over the past few decades, though as far as I know both Jones and Hana chose to live on the streets and refused most help).
*And then famous animals like Mittens the cat, who would wander the central city (you're no-one unless you've managed a selfie with Mittens, but he left us for Auckland a few years ago); and Matariki the Whale.
*Finally noting your location, you might be interested in the Ataturk Memorial. Gallipoli looms very large in the NZ mindset due to the number of NZers involved and it being one of the first overseas battles we fought, and the anniversary is our equivalent of Veterans' Day. There's also a sense of respect for the Turks, even if we don't really know anything much about Turkey [as well as an element of "what the hell were we doing invading Turkey?" and a sense of guilt].
We haven't had a meetup in Wellington in probably a decade, but you should call one when you get here if you want. I'm sure we can get a few people along
posted by Pink Frost at 4:12 PM on January 29, 2023
Best answer: We had several meetups in Wellington in 2020-2022, but under_petticoat_rule and I were the only ones who attended.
posted by rednikki at 4:22 PM on January 29, 2023
posted by rednikki at 4:22 PM on January 29, 2023
Best answer: Not sure if they still offer tours after being acquired but we loved the Weta Digital tour and shop.
posted by billsaysthis at 7:45 PM on January 29, 2023
posted by billsaysthis at 7:45 PM on January 29, 2023
Best answer: New Zealand is a small country, so it's easy to drive to lots of wonderful places for a day or weekend trip. Head north to the centre of the North Island for any number of places where you can explore what made New Zealand what it is. Also, Hobbiton.
posted by dg at 3:56 PM on January 30, 2023
posted by dg at 3:56 PM on January 30, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you everyone so much for your responses, they are immensely helpful. I can't wait to discover the city!
posted by cihan at 2:49 PM on February 28, 2023
posted by cihan at 2:49 PM on February 28, 2023
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Here are a couple of things that are important about Wellington:
1. The street art scene, which is truly excellent
2. Its relationship to the water, which sometimes does not remember to stay in the ocean
3. The housing crisis. The housing crisis is on a couple of axes.
a. The obvious thing that affects many cities: not enough homes for all the peoples, and they're too expensive
b. Something unique to NZ: the shockingly bad building quality and maintenance. And I mean SHOCKINGLY bad. The unhealthy homes lead to chronic illness. People will tell you the homes have black mould and mildew because in such a damp climate and hilly city, it's impossible to have a dry, mould-free home. Seattle would like a word.
c. Something unique to Wellington: if a building's been around for a couple of decades, it MUST be preserved. Because of this, there is a huge problem achieving needed density. There was a proposal to level some absolutely shit homes near the CBD built in the 1860s in order to build high-quality apartment blocks. The pearl-clutchers screaming "But our HERITAGE!" prevailed, even though there are many other, better examples of the same kind of home elsewhere.
4. Wellington has a number of wooden buildings built to look like stone buildings, because there was not a lot of stone available and they wanted the buildings to look Important.
5. Wellington's hills have a huge influence on how the city has developed and spread. Huge swaths of it are just unbuildable. There are roads with major choke points. And like the ocean, the hills don't always stay where they're supposed to. Sometimes the top of the hill becomes the bottom of the hill, which is a problem when there was a house on top of the top of the hill. There's also amazing hiking, and there are farm animals pastured within city limits (because while you can't build on them thar hills, you can graze sheep and cows on them).
6. Earthquakes. A good earthquake in the right direction could easily take out the 2 between Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and the 1 headed toward Johnsonville is similarly vulnerable. There are developments being built currently in significant fault areas. There are buildings downtown that have been closed for years for earthquake remediation, with no progress made. (Don't get me started on the library!)
7. Whaling was one of the top industries in New Zealand. It stopped in 1964, not because of any desire for conservation but because there were no more whales left to kill.
I have not dug into the Māori history of the region because I don't feel well enough informed to talk about it. But it is extremely interesting and worth looking into.
It's a crying shame that Mittens moved, because he would be the perfect subject for a photo essay.
posted by rednikki at 6:48 PM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]