Wellington wows second time around

PANORAMA: From Wellington's Mt Victoria Lookout visitors can watch planes landing and taking off from Wellington Airport, in what might qualify as a spectator sport as pilots wrestle their aircraft down on to the runway in the capital's notorious high winds. On this day though, the hazy sky indicates a hot summer's day and no white caps on the sea means barely a breeze. All pictures by Preeti Maheshwari

Sometimes you have to give a place a second chance. That was us and Wellington.

We visited the capital city in 2020 but the spark was not quite there. Two years later we decided to give it another go and it was nothing short of fantastic.

It takes a while to get there from Gisborne if you're driving — seven hours. But the city is a low-key urban escape, with impressive restaurants, art-lined lanes, stylish boutiques and interesting hotels crammed into a compact city centre.

At the start of this year my family and I decided to drive all the way to Wellington and stop at plenty of parks to make our nine-year-old son's holiday a memorable one.

By the time we arrived we were tired and not keen on doing too much, so we wandered to Cuba Street, barely 100 metres from our hotel.

Known for being an area enjoyed by creative types, Cuba Street welcomes tourists and locals with eccentric clothing stores and a wide range of cafes.

Among the trendy shops, fun restaurants and quirky bar we found a few places to pop into and particularly enjoyed a cake and ice cream parlour.

The famous bucket fountain is a great spot for a photo, but I had to keep telling my son not to get too close or else he would get drenched.

At night the street takes on a whole different vibe — bars are bustling and live music is playing as people make their way from one place to the next.

The next morning we headed to the colourful boatsheds that line Clyde Quay at the start of Oriental Bay. This is the default destination for a lazy summer's day. But we found there was no better way to experience the attractions of the sparkling waterfront than to hire a “Crocodile Bike” and ride around. It attracted us as they are quite unusual and a lot of fun. We cycled along Oriental Bay and the local joggers were good enough to get out of our way until we got the steering under control.

A visit to Wellington would not be complete without a trip to Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national museum. It offers innovative takes on the country's rich history in exceptional style and has an astonishing World War 1 exhibition.

Created in partnership with Weta Workshop, Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War features extraordinarily realistic, larger-than-life models of war heroes in action alongside historical artefacts and letters from the day.

Another interesting exhibition that caught our eyes was the Nature exhibition. It is absolutely top-notch — interesting, informative and family-friendly with interactive displays. The exhibition weaves indigenous knowledge and western scientific discoveries seamlessly, giving neither greater significance, but presenting them as complementary to a robust and deep understanding of the country's unique natural environment which evolved in isolation over millions of years.

After exploring Te Papa, there was some time for my son Devansh to enjoy go-karting, so we headed to Indoor Raceway at Porirua, a 20 minute drive down the motorway from Cuba St. Here for the first time my boy went all by himself on the raceway and had a fun-filled afternoon.

My husband Mayank and I were tired as the day was quite hot, but the little champ's energy had not faded yet. Every evening during our stay in the capital we took him to Motutawa Avalon Park in Lower Hutt. This Hutt City Council facility ticked all our boxes for a fun family outing. A destination playground in the six-hectare park has something for every age group and ability level. From a bike track and duck ponds to flying foxes and baby swings, the park had plenty to offer. The park is a 20 minute drive along the Hutt motorway from central Wellington.

Another highlight was the cable car. We boarded at Lambton Quay and in five minutes we had reached the top of the Botanic Gardens, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Panoramic views of the city and harbour greeted us.

The Mt Victoria Lookout on the other side of the city is another splendid spot that offers incredible views of Wellington and beyond. It was my favourite place to view the city, boasting a 360-degree panorama of Wellington's eastern harbour bays, the airport and Hutt Valley.

For our family, a visit to any big city feels incomplete until we have been to a zoo or sanctuary, so Zealandia Eco-Sanctuary was our next stop. We spent a day surrounded by nature and birdsong at this beautiful tract of native forest just minutes from central Wellington. It offers a unique opportunity to see native New Zealand birds and reptiles in the wild. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of Zealandia with an experienced guide who led us through the sanctuary valley.

Last but not least we wanted to visit Parliament and Devansh had high hopes of meeting the Prime Minister for the second time. We kept it to ourselves that this was highly unlikely.

He was brimming with excitement that morning.

“I want to wear my best clothes. I have to meet the Prime Minister. I need to be dressed really well,” he said.

He chose his outfit and we set off. Unfortunately we weren't allowed in as we had not pre-booked. Devansh's excitement turned to sadness but luckily we were given a slot for the next day.

The next morning we woke up to the exciting news that Immigration New Zealand had accepted our residency application and we were so elated that we just wanted to head back to Gisborne, but we made a quick stop at Parliament.

The one-hour guided tour showed us the key parts of Parliament buildings. The guide explained about parliamentary processes and New Zealand's history while taking us through the Beehive. However, Devansh was disappointed when the guide told him that the Prime Minister was on holiday and there was no chance he could meet her.