The Coolest Little Capital

Indeed The Coolest Little Capital In The World: Wellington.

Wellington was my last stop on the North Island during my road trip through New Zealand. People have told me that Wellington was a real highlight and I should at least spend a couple of days here before continuing to the South Island. And they were right!

Wellington is no sleepy layover town where you catch the ferry across the Cook Strait. I immediately fell in love with New Zealand’s capital. It’s one of those cities I could actually live in. Who knows, maybe some day… Before I got to Wellington, I spent a couple of very lonely days on Cape Palliser, so a little city life didn’t turn me off. I decided to stay for two full days.

I spent most of my days strolling the city along the beautiful bay, sitting on one of the side walks along the way with a good cup of strong coffee.; no visit to the city is complete without a walk along the waterfront.

Up from Mount Victoria Lookout you have get a panoramic view of city and harbour. You can watch the ferries sailing in through the harbour and aircraft taking off from Wellington Airport. It’s also one of the city’s most popular visitor sites. And for LOTR fans, it’s also quite a special place; some of the very first footage for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed here. “We found a really good, spooky-looking road for the scene where the four Hobbits run and hide under the tree roots as the Black Rider approaches” Sir Peter Jackson says of the site on Mount Victoria, which was used in the famous ‘Get off the road’ scene. Unfortunately I came across this only after I left Wellington, so I have to return some day – which is on my agenda for 2015 anyway.