Capital place for romantic couples

Te Papa has an exhibition by the great British landscape artist John Constable.

Whoever filled the brown leather compendium in our hotel room knew exactly what they were doing. As well as the usual handy hints about shopping and theatres, tucked away near the back was a detailed list of walks - from a half-hour stroll around the city to a four-hour epic covering historical sites and waterfront vistas.

As we discovered, Wellington is very much a city for walking.

The capital's notorious wind stayed away and the sun came out as we embarked on a mission to see if Wellington really could be considered a destination for a romantic weekend for two.

After a lazy Saturday morning wander along the harbour's edge, we arrived at Te Papa to take in an exhibition by John Constable, the English landscape painter of the early-19th century, whose works have been drawing crowds to the national museum over the past month.

We are not art experts and were not terribly familiar with Constable's work before we went, despite Te Papa's literature describing him as "one of the greatest English landscape painters".

But after spending 90 minutes shuffling from one impressive English landscape to the next, it was easy to see why such weighty tributes have been paid to Constable.

After the museum, we took a slow 15-minute walk to the cable car, which most weekdays acts as transport for public servants and university students as they make their way to work or study.

But on weekends its seats are dominated by pleasure-seekers, many fascinated by the old-time feel of the red cars as they edge quietly up the steep hill to a lookout across the city.

It's a short but worthwhile ride, and one which dates back to the late 1800s when prison labour was used to dig out the three tunnels along the route.

At the top is a free-of-charge cable car museum and a priceless view of Wellington's compact city and sparkling harbour.

After a brief peek at the view and a look at the Botanic Gardens, we got back on the cable car to return to Lambton Quay to peruse the high-fashion shopping strip.

Thankfully, given all our walking, there were plenty of cafes and bars to choose from for a much-needed drink.

And just when we thought we could walk no more, we found ourselves at our home for the night, the Bolton Hotel at the Parliament end of the city.

Wellington has plenty of hotels to choose from for a weekend away, but they can be hard to come by when the city is hosting a big event.

The Bolton is one of the newer locations to stay at in the city, and we found our room to be modern and stylish, in an apartment style with a full kitchen and well-stocked minibar.

Our complimentary half-bottle of Ata Rangi pinot noir went down well as we put our feet up and surfed the numerous television channels for news - you can take journalists out of their offices but you can't take them away from the news.

Before we knew it, it was time to get ready to visit one of Wellington's landmark restaurants for dinner, the White House.

The lure of a taxi was too much to ignore this time, and we were there within 10 minutes.

The restaurant is situated on the city's most well known stretch of road and beach, Oriental Parade, which is home to expensive real estate with harbour views.

As we found out, Wellingtonians like to think there are a few things that exemplify the class of their city when compared to Auckland.

One is the White House, which its manager pointed out is a very different kind of establishment from its northern namesake.

The capital's White House overlooks the harbour and has views of the city, which were stunning from our corner table - the spot had "romantic dinner" written all over it.

During our three-hour stay in the restaurant we were treated, among other things, to a crab entree with a dangerously more-ish sauce, melt-in-the-mouth salmon, and tea-smoked duck, which we had to admit was somewhat better than our at-home attempts at cooking duck.

The White House's attention to detail was notable, and its presentation, food, wine and service were top-notch.

A nice touch was the home-made butter that accompanied our freshly baked rolls, while the final flourish was the chocolate mints that arrived dramatically in a container of dry ice.

We walked back along Oriental Parade to the city full of cheer, and retired to our room for the night, comfortable in the knowledge that a late check-out meant there was plenty of time to recover from our walking.

Strangely, we didn't manage to go on one of the walks outlined in our hotel compendium.

Maybe next time - because there will be a next time now that we know Wellington is a definite candidate for a romantic weekend for two.

Checklist

Getting there
Air New Zealand has regular flights to Wellington from Auckland and other airports around the country.

Things to do
Constable: Impressions of Land, Sea and Sky is at Te Papa until October 8. Adults $12. See link below or ph(04) 381 7000.

The cable car departs every 10 minutes from Cable Car Lane at 280 Lambton Quay. Adult one way $1.80, return $3.60. See link below or ph (04) 472 2199.

Where to stay
The Bolton Hotel has rooms ranging from apartment-style with full kitchen to studios with tea and coffee-making facilities. Check link below or ph (04) 472 9966 for details of weekend packages.

Where to eat
The White House is open for dinner from 6pm at 232 Oriental Parade. See link below or ph (04) 385 8555.

Further information
Check out Positively Wellington Tourism's website.

* Paula Oliver was a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism.

Get on to a winner in Wellington

How would you like a weekend trip for two to Wellington to see the Constable exhibition, as well as enjoying the capital's cafes, art galleries and museums?

Herald Travel, Air New Zealand and Positively Wellington Tourism are offering the chance to win a package including:

* Two return air tickets to Wellington flying Air New Zealand.

* A night's accommodation for two at one of Wellington's classiest hotels, the Bolton Hotel, just a few minutes' walk from Lambton Quay. Also enjoy breakfast for two at the hotel's exquisite restaurant, Bisque on Bolton.

* Relax at the end of your day with dinner for two at one of Wellington's premier restaurants, the White House Restaurant, which offers a range of fine cuisine at an idyllic site on Oriental Parade.

* Take a step back to 19th-century Europe with tickets for two to Constable: Impressions of Land, Sea and Sky, on at Te Papa until October 8. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see more than 100 works assembled from collections worldwide.

* Take a ride on one of Wellington's most famous attractions, with tickets for two on the Wellington cable car. The journey will whisk you from downtown Lambton Quay to the tranquillity of the Botanic Gardens, where you can enjoy stunning views of the city and harbour.

This package must be taken before the close of the Constable exhibition on October 8; it must be taken on a weekend; accommodation at the Bolton Hotel is subject to availability at the time of booking.

In addition, Air New Zealand is offering nine consolation prizes of return air tickets for two to Wellington to be used by June 30 next year.

To be in to win put your name and address and a daytime phone number on the back of an envelope, give the name of Wellington's national museum, and post to:

Wellington Weekend, Travel Section, NZ Herald, PO Box 3290, Auckland.

Entries must reach the Herald by noon on September 5. Winners will be listed in Travel on September 12.