Capital joy of city by the sea

By SUE FARLEY

Taking a weekend break by the sea in Wellington is a rather undefined process if you look at it in a historical setting, because the seaside in the central city area has moved considerably over the past 150 years.

Nowhere is this more apparent than at the BNZ building in Lambton Quay.

Where this beautifully restored colonial landmark building now stands was once the city waterfront, and Lambton Quay was exactly that, a seafront street where Plimmer's Steps fell primly to the water's edge, and timber ships like the Inconstant tied up to the wharf with thick, chunky ropes.

Boxes and barrels of goods were piled by the wharves, horses clip-clopped past pulling heavy wagons of supplies, and Barrett's Hotel was filled with colourful seafaring characters.

But in a more contemporary time, we had arrived in Wellington on a blustery Friday for a few days of R&R and cultural immersion, and my chief interests lay in exploring the waterfront and harbour attractions.

To find that the waterfront held these additional transient qualities was a bonus indeed.

We checked in for our Weekend Escape at the Intercontinental, with a sea-view room and a luscious bowl of fresh fruit, and watched the activity on Queens Wharf, eight floors below, as we plotted our stay.

Staying right in the heart of the city was a definite advantage, because central Wellington is compact and ideally suited to walking just about anywhere, day or night.

With only a 15-minute walk in any direction we could reach Oriental Bay, the Railway Station, the Beehive, the Ferry Terminal, Westpac Stadium, the Michael Fowler Centre or Te Papa. There were more cafes than we could want to choose from, and the sea was just over the road, calling us to explore.

Going back to the 1850s, Wellington's seafront was indeed Lambton Quay. But a violent earthquake in 1855 raised a portion of the seabed, tipping over the berthed Inconstant, which had recently been converted to a peculiar floating warehouse called Plimmer's Ark, and submerging it at the wharf.

Further round the bay the earthquake also lifted a significant area of harbour which became the Basin Reserve, now a considerable distance from the sea.

One hundred and fifty years of subsequent coastal development saw the remains of Plimmer's Ark buried under mud, until it was unearthed when the BNZ building was being restored. The bow section now lies preserved in situ under a glassbrick floor, with a video and static display outlining its history.

Meanwhile, Wellington continued to build out into the sea, where Queen's Wharf is now the seafront.

It is quite possible to spend several days wandering this area. A pleasant walkway runs right round from Queen's Wharf to Te Papa, and further past Chaffers Marina to Oriental Bay, with its nice new beach made from Golden Bay sand.

And despite its critics, to me Te Papa is a splendid building that occupies a significant portion of coastline and deserves being investigated. Visiting exhibitions on the upper levels are often very worthwhile.

Right next to Te Papa, towards Queens Wharf, the walkway runs beside the Hikatia, a large steam-driven crane-boat still used for heavy lifting work on Wellington Harbour.

It is also the working headquarters for the Maritime Archaeological Association of NZ, which has been the key mover in waterfront preservation projects such as Plimmer's Ark.

Their most prominent display can be found at the Plimmer Gallery, right next to the City and Sea Museum on Queen's Wharf, where a significant amount of timber from the ark is being preserved in a working display.

The museum is housed in the old Wellington Harbour Board building, and entry is free.

It has an excellent maritime section detailing the sea-based settlement and commerce of Wellington over the last 200 years, right back to pre-European times, and also has a very moving display of the Wahine disaster.

For respite from all this coastal exploration, we visited the coffee spots, watched yachts racing in the hectic breeze and the seagulls gliding on the gusts.

We woke each morning to a wintry sunrise over the water and saw the reflection of the sunset in the evening.

And from our lofty perch on the eighth floor we watched the Interislander heading out to do battle on Cook Strait each day - and were glad not to be on it.

Case notes

Where

Try the Weekend Escape at the Intercontinental Hotel, cnr Grey and Featherston Streets, opposite Queen's Wharf

Ph 0800 442 215

Ask for a sea-view room

What It Costs

Weekend Escape starts at $382 per night / two people, including breakfast

Getting There and Around

Taxi or shuttle from the airport, parking on site

Everything is within walking distance

Where To Eat

Shed 5 on Queen's Wharf does fine waterfront meals, focusing on seafood

Icecream stand beneath the City to Sky Walkway - yummy

Cafe L'Affare, a bit inland but worth it for excellent coffee roasted on site

What to Do

Catch the Eastbourne ferry at Queen's Wharf to cross the harbour, or reach Matiu/Somes Island

Visit the City and Sea Museum and Plimmer's Ark Gallery restoration project on Queen's Wharf

Check out the bow of Plimmer's Ark beneath the basement floor of the BNZ building

Walk around to Oriental Bay and Chaffers Marina, and check out Te Papa on the way