According to a pamphlet we read Wellington has more bars per capita than New York City. Upon hearing this we decided we would test the theory and check out some of the nightlife, we had not been in a city centre since Auckland so we figured it would be an opportune time to take it in.
A taste of some of the cool urban art in Wellington
The city is situated on a bay at the southernmost tip of the North Island – I am no meteorologist but I am making an educated guess that this the reason there are torrential bursts of wind that would be strong enough to fly a glider to China. To sum it up, it was super windy the entire time we were there.
Te Papa, New Zealand's National Museum
Upon arrival we headed straight for the downtown core to a chic little restaurant where we chowed down on some delicious tapas and drank a frosty pint. The food was a welcome break from our monotonous hostel diet which mainly consists of tomato, red onion and avocado sandwiches, with so much flavour I could literally feel my taste buds having a wild party on my tongue. With our bellies full we made our way down the ultra trendy Courtney Street to check out some of the pubs and bars, now i have never been to NYC but Wellington has an enormous array of bars, clubs and pubs. From dance clubs spinning hot beats till 5AM to pseudo-Irish pubs serving Guineas over traditional folk music, if it exists we are willing to bet our bottom dollar that you will find it in Wellington.
No point in posting this other than it was hilarious. Rent Some BLADES! My friend Cameron would be in heaven!
A Kiwi told us the nickname for Wellington was Wellywood, not sure where they dug up that clever name…anyway, it is the quintessential film city in New Zealand and there are tonnes of studios and associated businesses surrounding the film industry. We stumbled upon the filming sets of two movies, both with actors spouting foreign languages that neither of us could understand. This is apparently a very normal scene with areas of the city constantly closed off as filming locations. To compliment the production side of the industry, there are many retrofitted theatres that stage the majority of the premieres within the country, Peter Jackson even busted out the world premiere of Lord of the Rings in this very city, I wonder where Frodo got shithouse to celebrate his victorious ascent of Mount Doom? The little guy better have had his tab taken care of after that adventure…
The arts scene in the city is extremely evident when you walk the streets downtown, there are urban parks, sculptures and plazas everywhere you look. A very cool vibe runs in the city and it definitely gives off a very hip atmosphere. It is too bad we only had two nights to explore the capital of New Zealand because we definitely could have used more.
Jackie throwing out the jazz hands on our ferry ride to the South Island
Love the jazz hands… Looks beautiful there.
That city sounds pretty cool! I have been following your blog, your writing and pictures are great and I am obsessed with your videos! Great job Jar, you got some talent there kid! Safe travels, and I will be checking in regularly! Enjoy~!
PS. If you guys are heading to Germany let me know!