Of course, that was more than a quarter of a decade ago. Wellington has changed and I couldn’t tell you much more about it other than a lot of stories of teenage tom foolery. Luckily I’ve still got old mates with kids there who I reached out to and they were happy to give some me some info on the windy city.
And they don’t call it the windy city for nothing. I remember a lot of the time being able to stand at 45 degrees while the wind held me up. Of course I was about the size and weight of a twig, but it’s pretty similar to a T8 here in Hong Kong, when the city (Hong Kong that is) goes into a state of panic and shuts down because there’s a few trees getting blown around. But that’s another story.
Amongst Kiwis, Wellington has a reputation for it’s lively culture, bar and restaurant scene, events and coffee. It’s not really a city you’d fly half way (or more) around the world to see but if you’re in New Zealand for a few weeks and exploring the North Island, it’s worth a visit. To me, there are better places to go in New Zealand as a tourist and I always recommend the South of the South Island. Cities like Wellington and Auckland are both nice, but not really much different than a lot of Western cities. Sure, it’s a different culture and country, but they’re not that unique.
Would I recommend going to Wellington if you’re visiting New Zealand? Probably not unless you were spending more than 2 weeks there and driving the whole country. But don’t let that put you off, it’s a cool city and you won’t be disappointed if you do decide to go there.
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