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Thursday, April 02, 2015

Cuba Dupa, Seal Coast Safari and Farmers Markets - A Weekend in Wellington

Miniature mangosteen fruit box at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington

Three hours in the car gets you to about Bathurst from Sydney, but hop on a plane and you could be in Wellington instead. It's a proposition that makes an overseas mini-break doable in a weekend. Positively Wellington Tourism offered to send me across the ditch on a media trip, and buoyed by the thought of bluff oysters and fresh feijoas, I found myself in New Zealand last weekend hungry and ready to eat!

How many photos do you take on holiday? I snapped almost 750 over three-and-a-half days, culled down to 141 in this post for your viewing pleasure. Get a cuppa tea, settle in, and get ready to scroll, baby.


Wellington Underground Market

Wellington Underground Market, Wellington

I was keen to visit as many markets as I could on this trip, my fourth visit to Wellington. I stumbled on the Wellington Underground Market by accident, as I walked from my hotel to Thorndon Farmers' Market.

Wellington's compact layout - most places in central Wellington are less than a 25-minute walk apart - is often lauded as ideal for visitors on tight schedules. Cruise ships often dock for a day in Wellington so popular sites are clearly sign-posted.

Gummy bear charm bracelet at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Gummy bear charm bracelet by Blue Star Kiwi

The Wellington Underground Market yields a treasure trove of stalls: clothes, lamp shades, knitwear and the most charming array of miniature crafted foods for display or jewellery.

Mini sushi earrings at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington'
Mini sushi earrings

Mini dragon fruit at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Mini dragon fruit

Mini potted flower at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Mini potted flower

Mini roses at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Mini roses

Mini glass jars with donuts at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Mini glass jars with donuts

Antique maps and prints at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Antique maps and prints

There's not a huge number of stalls but there's a good mix of products. The underground shelter means it runs every Saturday rain, hail or shine.

Printed lamp shades at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Printed lamp shades

Necklaces at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Necklaces

Stalls and tables at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Stalls and tables

Tiered cake stands at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Tiered cake stands by The Craft Yard


Handmade watermelon soaps at Wellington Underground Market, Wellington
Handmade watermelon soaps by The Craft Yard



Thorndon Farmers' Market

Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington

Thorndon Farmers' Market takes place every Saturday morning in the Cathedral of St Paul carpark.

Stalls at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Excitedly running into the farmers' market. I tend to do the same thing.

The market might be modest in size but there's a strong commitment to local and organic produce. Many products come from Wellington or the nearby areas of Horowhenua, Hawkes Bay, the Kapiti Coast, and the Wairarapa.

Local pears at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Pears

Pacific Beauty apples at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Pacific Beauty apples

Organic fruit and vegetables at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Organic fruit and vegetables

Free range eggs at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Free range eggs

Stallholder chatting with local shoppers at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Chatting with local shoppers

Fresh beetroot at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Beetroot

Fix and Fogg peanut butter at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington
Fix and Fogg peanut butter made with Australian peanuts

Fix and Fogg is huge in New Zealand. I bought the smoke and fire flavour, an intoxicating blend of peanut butter with New Zealand-grown organic cayenne peppers and natural Manuka smoke.

Shopping at Thorndon Farmers' Market, Wellington


City Market

City Market at Chaffers Dock Building, Wellington

On Sundays, everyone heads to the waterfront where two markets operate side by side. The Harbourside Market is marked by a strong presence of fresh fruit and vegetables, whereas the undercover City Market seems to have more of a focus on artisan products.

Pretzels by Brezelmania German bakery at City Market, Wellington
Pretzels by Brezelmania

Quiches by Brezelmania German bakery at City Market, Wellington
Quiches

Cheesemonger at Le Marche Francais selling French cheeses at City Market, Wellington
Le Marche Francais French cheeses

Bleu d'Auvergne French blue cheese at Le Marche Francais at City Market, Wellington
Bleu d'Auvergne blue cheese by Le Marche Francais

Brie de Meaux French raw milk brie at Le Marche Francais at City Market, Wellington
Brie de Meaux raw milk brie 

Organic tea by Tea Horse Road at Le Marche Francais at City Market, Wellington
Organic tea blends by Tea Horse Road

The Village Meats at City Market, Wellington
Gourmet sausages, grass fed beef, free range pork and wild venison and hare by The Village Meats

JAM.it at City Market, Wellington
Jams, chutneys, relishes and pickles by JAM.it

Fresh juices at City Market, Wellington
Fresh juices

Saled caramel eclairs and chocolate eclairs by Creative Cooking at City Market, Wellington
Salted caramel eclairs and chocolate eclairs by Creative Cooking

Easter spiced macarons by Creative Cooking at City Market, Wellington
Easter spiced macarons


Harbourside Market

Harbourside Market, Wellington

I could see the Harbourside Market from my hotel as I ate my breakfast. The huge carpark transforms into a swarm of people wandering through aisles of fresh produce. Eleven fruit and vegetable trucks roll into town early on Sundays and unpack their wares. Add in the bakeries, cake stands, hot food stalls and more to hit about 50 stalls in total.

Exposure to the elements can affect crowd numbers on rainy mornings but market manager Fraser Ebbett estimates that 20,000 to 25,000 people will pass through on a busy market day.

Morning shoppers at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Morning shoppers at Harbourside Market

Kiwifruit at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Kiwifruit

Plums and avocados at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Looking for the perfect avocado

Feijoas at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Feijoas

Chestnuts at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Chestnuts

Fruits and vegetables at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Fruits and vegetables

Fresh fish for sale at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Fresh fish for sale from the wharf jetty boat

Boat selling fresh seafood at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Boat selling fresh seafood

The moored boat selling wholesale fresh fish picked up from fishing boats in Napier, Picton and Wellington is a picturesque sight too.

Nino's Fresh Fish at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Nino's Fresh Fish

Fishmongers on the boat at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Fishmongers cleaning and filleting fish at the back of the boat

Buying fresh fish at Nino's at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Seafood shopping done

Chilean hot dogs and empanadas at NICCE food truck at Harbourside Market, Wellington
Chilean hot dogs and empanadas from NICCE food truck

Harbourside Market in front of Museum Hotel, Wellington
Harbourside Market in front of Museum Hotel


Museum Hotel

Museum Hotel, Wellington

I was booked in at the Museum Hotel, the second time I've stayed in their serviced apartments.

Fresh feijoas and Whittakers chocolate welcome at Museum Hotel, Wellington
Fresh feijoas and Whittakers chocolate welcome

After mentioning my eagerness to eat as many feijoas as I could, the lovely folk at Positively Wellington included them in a welcome package in my hotel room, along with a stash of feijoa lollies and Whittakers chocolate squares.

Artworks in the lobby at Museum Hotel, Wellington
Artworks in the Museum Hotel lobby

The artworks scattered throughout the hotel are part of the personal collection of the hotel owner, Chris Parkin, also a motorcycle enthusiast.

Pisupo Lua Afe bull made from Pacific corned beef tins at Museum Hotel, Wellington
Pisupo Lua Afe, a bull made from Pacific corned beef tins, by Michael Tuffery

The Museum Hotel is also known for its unusual move from across the road - the entire building was rolled 200 metres down the street on parallel in an engineering triumph.

Lounge area at Hippopotamus Restaurant at Museum Hotel, Wellington
Lounge area at Hippopotamus Restaurant

Black pudding, mashed potato and poached egg breakfast at Hippopotamus Restaurant at Museum Hotel, Wellington
Black pudding, mashed potato, bacon and poached egg $25

Breakfast is held in the Hippopotamus Restaurant upstairs. After eating far too much from the $25 hot breakfast buffet on day one, I switched to the a la carte menu. The black pudding dish was a particularly hearty offering, combined with mashed potato, streaky bacon, poached egg and hollandaise.

French toast with candied bacon, banana anad creme fraiche at Hippopotamus Restaurant at Museum Hotel, Wellington
French toast with candied bacon, banana and creme fraiche $25

The French toast with candied bacon was pretty epic too. I counted at least six strips of streaky bacon, piled on top of cinnamon French toast with some much needed relief from the fresh banana and dollop of creme fraiche.


Havana Coffee Works

Havana Coffee Works, Wellington

Wellington is said to have more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the world. I've always loved Wellington coffee because double shots of espresso are standard in every drink.

1956 Buick at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Havana's 1956 Buick

My itinerary brings me to Havana Coffee, one of Wellington's first coffee roasters, launched in 1989 by Tim Rose and Geoff Marsland.

Havana Coffee Works headquarters, Wellington
Havana Coffee headquarters with indoor balcony

They deal directly with a lot of farmers here, sourcing beans that are imported and then roasted on-site.

Hand stamps for coffee packing at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Hand stamps for coffee packing

They still stick with hand-stamping their coffee bags, even though their orders now number about 4,500 per week.

Havana organic coffee tin at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Havana organic coffee tin

Barista at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Caffeine central

Coffee plant at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Three year old coffee plant

Upstairs from the main cafe are their training and cupping rooms. The live coffee plant makes you appreciate how much work goes into picking, drying and roasting the bean within each coffee cherry.

Coffee cherries at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Coffee cherries

Espresso coffee guide at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Havana espresso coffee guide

Macchiato at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington
Macchiato

1956 Buick at Havana Coffee Works, Wellington


CGR Merchant and Co

Bar at CGR Merchant and Co, Wellington

I meet with one of the staff members from Positively Wellington Tourism for a pre-dinner drink at CGR Merchant & Co, one of the city's newest bars on Courtenay Place. The staircase entry is barely noticeable from the street but once you reach the top, you'll find a cosy bar clogged with a bewildering display of giant pickling jars.

Home-infused rum and gin at CGR Merchant and Co, Wellington
Home-infused rum and gin concoctions

CGR stands for coffee, gin and rum. It's a mad scientist's workshop of infused rum and gin concoctions, available straight or incorporated into all kinds of cocktails.

There's a reason we spot Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords here too. The owner of CGR is his brother, Jonny McKenzie.

Home-infused rum and gin cocktails at CGR Merchant and Co, Wellington
Nectarine and lapsang souchong Rogue Society gin with tonic water $12 and
apricot and manuka honey Havana Especial rum with ginger ale $10


Wholesale Boot Company (WBC)

Bluff oysters at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Bluff oysters $5 each

We continue our acronym venue theme with dinner at WBC. It's short for Wholesale Boot Company, the former tenant where this restaurant now stands, again at the top of a set of stairs accessed from the street.

I'm excited at the prospect of trying bluff oysters for the first time. These bivalves are notoriously hefty and only available from March to July. The flesh is impressively plump. They taste saltier than a Sydney rock oyster with a heavier density that gives a chewier mouthfeel.

Tua tuas with ponzu at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Tua tuas with ponzu $16

Tua tuas are similar to pipis but this New Zealand native is markedly fleshier. The size of the flesh is huge within each clam shell, served with a ponzu sauce that gives a gentle zing.

Bone marrow at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Bone marrow $16

The menu at WBC traverses everything from white anchovy with smoked aubergine to tom yum squid to Jamaican goat curry with banana fritters. I only have eyes for the bone marrow, a massive portion of four beef shin troughs served with toasted ciabatta slices and a parsley salad.

Pork and shiitake dumplings at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Pork and shiitake dumplings $12.5 for three

The pork and shiitake dumplings pack a surprisingly chilli kick.

Beef tartare on toast at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Beef tartare on toast $15.50

And the beef tartare is not quite what I expect, shaped into mini quenelles and drizzled a little zealously with mayonnaise.

Crispy skin tarakihi at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Crispy skin tarakihi $31

I can't get enough of the crispy skin tarakihi though, the fish cooked to a flaking perfection and served on a bed of satisfying chewy coconut rice in a Brazilian sweet pepper sauce. A cassava chip garnish adds extra crunch.

Banana custard square with dulce de leche at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Banana custard square with dulce de leche $14.50

Dessert is an elegant arrangement of banana custard parfait sandwiched between layers of crisp pastry. The trail of dulce de leche is just the right amount of caramelised sweetness.


Charley Noble

Pigs tail salad at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington

I dined alone on my second night at Charley Noble, not overly conspicuous at my table tucked alongside the wall.

Moa apple cider at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Moa apple cider (Blenheim) $12

The dining room is almost full tonight, a mix of large groups of friends and couples out on date night.

Tarakihi crudo at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Tarakihi crudo with lemon and horseradish $20

The tarakihi crudo is sophisticated in presentation. There isn't a lot of fish on the plate but the flesh is firm and sweet, accented by the generous smear of horseradish cream.

Pigs tail salad at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Pigs tail $18
with walnuts, mandarin, currants and faro

The pigs tail ends up as a faro salad with surprise nuggets of pigs tail crackling. It's a genius dish, the nuttiness of the faro contrasted with sweet currants, slightly bitter walnuts and citrus bursts of mandarin. The crackling bits add pops of fatty richness and crunch - I could happily eat this every day for a week.

Lamb shoulder at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Lamb shoulder $34
with lemon, oregano, Israeli couscous, grilled vegetables and tzatziki

It would be wrong to visit New Zealand and not order lamb, right? The lamb shoulder is one of the most popular dishes here. It's a heavy dish, the thick slices of fatty lamb offset by a blanket of tzatziki.

Frozen torrone at WBC Wholesale Boot Company, Wellington
Frozen torrone $17
Chocolate, coconut and peanut

The waitress convinces me to order the frozen torrone for dessert. I'm glad I did. It's like a chocolate Toblerone parfait encased in a Golden Rought. I polish the whole thing in no time.


Wellington Night Market

Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street

Still hungry? I love that Wellington might only have a population of 450,000 but they still have capacity to run two night markets, held on Friday and Saturday nights.

Grumpy cat purses at Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street
Grumpy cat!

The stalls are a mix of food and trinkets but there's a buzzy atmosphere that envelopes the market, filled with locals and tourists.

House of Dumplings at Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street
Handmade dumplings from House of Dumplings


Panfrying dumplings at House of Dumplings at Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street
Panfrying dumplings

Roti wraps from Roti Bay at Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street
Roti wraps from Roti Bay

Bratwurst sausages from Fritz's Wieners at Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street
Bratwurst sausages from Fritz's Wieners

Ramen and rice burgers from Matsuda Shouten at Wellington Night Market on lower Cuba Street
Ramen and rice burgers from Matsuda Shouten


Seal Coast Safari

Wild seal colony at Red Rocks on the Seal Coast Safari

Sick of the city? It only takes about twenty minutes to get up into the hills of Wellington by car. I made a special request to see the seal colony at Red Rocks, an easy half-day adventure with Seal Coast Safari.

Wind turbines during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Wind turbines

Several stops are made for vistas and photos. The hill-top views are ridiculously spectacular. I managed to score clear blue skies with no winds on the day of my tour. You could stop, stare and contemplate for hours.

View of Wellington from the hill
View of Wellington from the hills

Billy picking manuka leaves during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Billy, today's Seal Coast Safari tour guide, picking manuka leaves

Today's guide, Billy, is a keen forager, picking manuka leaves to smell and kawakawa leaves that he says are like nature's version of chewing gum.

Patting deer at a local farm during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Patting deer through the fence

We stop by a local farm where the deer immediately bound over for a pat.

Young deer at a local farm during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Young deer

Stag at a local farm during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Stag with antlers that are about to shed

Crystal blue water views during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Shades of blue in the water

Volcanic rocks and blue water during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Volcanic rocks

We shift into 4-wheel drive mode as we grunt our way over rough terrain and navigate through rocky beach fronts. It can be a pretty wild ride at times - in a good way of course!

Wild seal on Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Wild seals

The seal colony is one of the final stops on the trip, an incredible glimpse into their lives as they sunbake among the volcanic rocks.

Photographing everything during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Getting the perfect shot

Bush tea with foraged manuka and kawakawa leaves on the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
New Zealand bush tea made with foraged manuka and kawakawa leaves

You also score morning tea: a hefty gourmet muffin and a cuppa tea. Billy will make you New Zealand bush tea - with manuka and kakaka leaves - if you prefer. It's a pleasant herbal tea that feels perfect for the setting.

Seal sunbaking during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington
Sunbaking seal

On a day like today I wouldn't mind being a seal though, lounging around and soaking up the rays.

Seal sunbaking during the Seal Coast Safari, Wellington



Cuba Dupa

Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

As luck would have it, my visit last weekend also coincided with the first ever Cuba Dupa festival, a two-day event that would take over Cuba Street. Street closures, four different stages, roving entertainment and a strong presence of well-spaced street food stalls made this a hugely popular event for everyone.

Bucket Fountain at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Soap suds in the Bucket Fountain

Indian food station at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Indian food station

Roti and murtabak at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Roti and murtabak

Curry at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Curry


Butter chicken at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Ladling butter chicken

Logan Brown cooking whitebait fritters at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Logan Brown stall making whitebait fritters

West Coast whitebait fritter sandwich by Logan Brown at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
West Coast whitebait fritter sandwich $12

I finally got my hands on a whitebait fritter, a Kiwi classic of whitebait cooked in an omelette. It's a tasty little number.

Roving street percussionists with DIY sci-fi costumes at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Roving street percussionists

Roving street percussionists with DIY sci-fi costumes at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Awesome DIY costumes

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Batucada parade on the Saturday night

On Saturday night I happened to bump into a batucada parade. Batucada involves samba music and percussion players and features in almost all of Brazil's carnival parades. The drumming reminds me of Chinese lion dances and it has the same Pied Piper effect of drawing everyone closer.

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada is huge in New Zealand with several chapters travelling to Wellington for Cuba Dupa. The joy on everyone's faces is infectious but I loved more was how the majority of onlookers joined the parade and started dancing too, even if they didn't know all the steps.

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade drummers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade percussionist at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade macaw at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade tamborim player at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancer at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancer at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade percussionist at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade tamborim players at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington
Batucada parade on Sunday afternoon

The batucada continued the next day too. One player's grandson stole the show though. It was impossible to watch without breaking out into a giant grin.

Locals dancing at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada conductor at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Helping the batucada players at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Cutest batucada recruit at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers from Samba de Sol at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade samba dancers at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015, Wellington

Batucada parade against a backdrop of Wellington at the Cuba Dupa Festival 2015

Grab Your Fork travelled to Wellington as a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism and Air New Zealand



CGR Merchant & Co
46 Courtenay Place, Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 384 6737
Open Tuesday to Saturday 5pm-12 midnight (Thursday til 1am, Friday and Saturday til 3am)

Charley Noble
Ground Floor, Huddart Parker Building, No 1 Post Office Square, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 282 0205
Open lunch Monday to Friday from 11.30am, dinner 7 nights from 5pm

Havana Coffee Roastery
163 Tory Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 384 7041
Open Monday to Friday 7am-5pm

Museum Art Hotel
90 Cable Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 802 8900

Seal Coast Safari
Level 4, 64 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand
Tours depart 10am and 1.30pm and run for 3 hours ($125 for adults and $62.50 for children)
Meet at the Wellington i-SITE Visitor Centre, corner Victoria and Wakefield Street
Tel: +64 4 801 6040

Wholesale Boat Company (WBC)
Level 1, 107 Victoria Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 499 9379
Opening Monday to Friday 11.30am-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 4.30pm-10pm


MARKETS 

City Market

Chaffers Dock Building atrium
1 Herd Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Open every Sunday 8.30am-12.30pm

Harbourside Market
Corner of Cable Street and Barnett Street (beside Te Papa Museum)
Open every Sunday 7.30am-1pm (til 2pm during the summer)

Wellington Night Market
Left Bank Mall, Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Every Friday night 5pm-11pm

116 Cuba Street (lower Cuba Street), Wellington, New Zealand
Every Saturday night 5pm-11pm

Wellington Underground Market
31 Jervois Quay, Wellington Waterfront, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 21 389 369
Every Saturday 10am-4pm
20 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 4/02/2015 04:09:00 am


20 Comments:

  • At 4/02/2015 9:17 am, Anonymous Racy_staci said…

    Such a gorgeous city! Looks like you had a great jam packed time over there.

     
  • At 4/02/2015 9:19 am, Anonymous john | heneedsfood said…

    Aah so many familiar places and flavours. I tried mutton bird for the first time at the Night Market you visited.

    Wellington sure does pack it in when it comes down to things to see and do. And the coffee!

     
  • At 4/02/2015 9:22 am, Anonymous Giginoodles said…

    Love going to markets. Thanks for sharing

     
  • At 4/02/2015 9:28 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I love your work!
    Have been following your advice this year and thrilled with your recommendations.
    Also love your photography.
    Looks like a trip to Wellington is on the cards!

     
  • At 4/02/2015 9:39 am, Blogger Unknown said…

    Looks like great food and fun things to do. Makes me want to go.

     
  • At 4/02/2015 9:53 am, Anonymous Jucy_lucy said…

    Makes me want to go to Wellington. Such a diversity.

     
  • At 4/02/2015 9:58 am, Anonymous nuggnuggs21 said…

    Great pictures Helen. How nice to buy such fresh fish. Gives new meaning to FOB.

     
  • At 4/02/2015 10:35 am, Anonymous Emily said…

    I can't believe you came to where I live - Wellington - and I didn't know about it! I love your blog - in fact you've inspired me to travel to Australia. Would have liked to say hi and show you some more Wellington treasures.

     
  • At 4/02/2015 10:50 am, Anonymous Odette said…

    Always wanted to try fresh bluff oysters but not so keen on the feijoas

     
  • At 4/02/2015 11:30 pm, Anonymous ChopinandMysaucepan said…

    Dear Helen,

    What an epic trip, so much beauty and I have yet to visit the north island. I love the photo of that wholesome basket of eggs.

     
  • At 4/03/2015 12:14 am, Blogger K said…

    Ooo, I think it's finally time for me to visit our neighbour NZ. All the markets sound like so much fun! Your photos look great as always, pity I can't double tap everything like on Instagram. ;)

     
  • At 4/03/2015 8:32 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    That beef tartare looks absolutely heavenly!

     
  • At 4/04/2015 7:44 am, Anonymous Hotly Spiced said…

    You've made me homesick! Wellington is where I was born and grew up. It looks like the weather was kind to you which and good weather is not in my memory bank! Although I have heard that this year they've had one of their best summers on record. It's a wonderful climate for growing produce - not so good for the humans xx

     
  • At 4/07/2015 1:15 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Didn't know there is so much to do in NZ. So set to back my backs and hop on a plane to Wellington :D

     
  • At 4/07/2015 2:00 pm, Blogger Vivian - vxdollface said…

    Nice! Looks like you had a lot of fun :) zomg mashed potato for breakfast, winning!

     
  • At 4/09/2015 10:45 am, Anonymous Berny @ I Only Eat Desserts said…

    This looks like such a fun trip :D Loved your parts about the markets - wanting those mini food jewelery to myself now :P

     
  • At 4/12/2015 3:20 am, Anonymous Martine @ Chompchomp said…

    Oh I really need to get myself to NZ! I have never been yet I have family there, it looks incredible. I love your travel posts, your photos always capture the moments beautifully

     
  • At 4/12/2015 12:53 pm, Blogger Sarah said…

    Wow! What an amazing weekend - lucky Helen! :)

    You make me really want to go to Wellington!

    xox Sarah

     
  • At 4/14/2015 11:56 am, Blogger irene said…

    So much gorgeous-ness on this post! <3

     
  • At 5/01/2015 1:07 pm, Blogger Roo Food said…

    This post has confirmed just how much I want to go to Wellington - even more than I wanted to before. Thanks

     

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