Wellington, blow by blow

By CAMERON WILLIAMSON

From the marketing jingle to the Met Office, it has been acknowledged: you can't beat Wellington on a good day.

And if there is any smugness about being named North & South magazine's Top Town or boasting the Most Contented Population, you'll never hear about it.

Because on a good day in Wellington - and the Harbour Capital has been overendowed this year - the locals are just too damn busy enjoying it to crow.

They're even over making rude comments about Auckland and Aucklanders. There are plenty more engaging pastimes.

This is a town full of highly adaptable, disproportionately brainy, culture-conscious people, shaped by their landscape, their environment and, of course, their wind and weather.

But in every wind, there is a lee shore, a cafe, an art gallery, a museum or a second-hand store begging exploration and that is why a visit to the capital is rewarding to the savvy traveller.

If international comparisons partner Auckland with LA, Wellington is New Zealand's San Francisco: steep hills tumbling into a sparkling harbour, cable cars and century-old houses on unlikely sites.

It also enjoys the undeniable frisson and the reminder of impermanence that you can only get from living on an active fault line.

The shape of the place constantly changes. Most of the flat land in the central city wasn't there at the beginning of last century. A series of plaques marked "Shoreline 1850" describes a curve from Lambton Quay (there's the clue to its name) around to Courtenay Place, and everything seaward of it is (relatively) new.

For all the bitching and wrangling the locals will relate about the redevelopment of the foreshore over the past two decades, Wellington's interface with the sea is as useable, attractive, engaging and connected as any of the great harbour cities - San Francisco, Sydney, Baltimore or Barcelona.

The confidence of this shore thing allows the rest of the tumbling, bustling town to get about its busy-ness, stacking up the hay while the sun shines. Because tomorrow it could all be blown away.

Here's a taste of some capital pleasures:

Eat ... Top-table diners can dine with dash and choose from intelligent wine lists at some of the country's best restaurants. Logan-Brown's vault-ceilinged old money house on Cuba and Vivian offers exquisite dining on a grand scale, banquettes and white cloths complementing exciting modern classic food. The White House on Oriental Parade matches the high standard, as does Chris Green's Boulcott St Bistro and Peter Thornley's Icon at Te Papa.

More quirky Wellington eateries are Kent Baddeley's salon at Petit Lyon on Willis, the original Brasserie Flipp on Ghuznee and Miramar's mother-lovin' Two Rooms.

The capital's melting-pot stirs up food from the cultures of its immigrants. Besides having more Malaysian restaurants than most Pacific cities, Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Cambodian, Korean, Greek, Italian, Mongolian, Indonesian and Thai all cohabit deliciously.

Because nightlife thrives through the wee hours, Axolotl on Courtenay Place and the iconic Green Parrot do the greasy-spoon thing in style while Midnight Espresso on Cuba rocks around most of the clock.

Coffee ... Anywhere, anytime in this city fuelled by caffeine. Café L'Affare on College roasts to the stars and makes a great staging-post for super-deli shopping at Moore Wilson; Illy on Blair presses with the best. But don't miss Fuel's café-carts for coffee on the move up on The Terrace and downtown.

Felix, Lido and Nikau fix coffee for the art/library creative types around the Civic Centre; Pravda takes eurostyle downtown on Customhouse Quay and Dixon Street Deli (big brother to Auckland's Zarbo) spreads the best of the Continent across its tables and shelves.

Beachside sunrise with that latte? Make the trip to Chocolate Fish at Scorching Bay and watch the dolphins come in as the Cook Strait ferries depart around brunchtime.

Drink ... Bars cheek-by-jowl on and around Courtenay Place range from pubs as Irish as Molly Malone's and Kitty OShea's and pubs as regular as the Grand, Feathers, the Rose and Crown and the politicians' local, the Backbencher, to the chic and sophisticated. Drink only champagne at CO2 on Blair, wicked chocolate martinis at Hummingbird on Courtenay Place and cosmopolitans at Castro's on Marjoribanks.

Beer lovers will savour Belgian brews at Leuven on Featherstone, play the field of 30 tap beers at The Malthouse, or enjoy some of the best and most obscure at Bodega up Willis.

Modern vibes abound with the latest mixes around Matterhorn on Cuba and Imbibe, just around the corner.

Walk ... the length of Cuba St to get a handle on secondhand bookstores, gritty bars, earthy, throwback cafes and street music.

Promenade the crescent of Oriental Bay and Freyberg Beach past marinas and museums to take in the full sweep of the sparkling waterfront.

A stroll through colonial history starts from Kelburn (top of the Cable Car) and drops through the magnificent Botanic Gardens, the colonial streets of Thorndon, past Premier House, Katherine Mansfield's birthplace, Old St Pauls, Parliament Buildings and the Beehive - and it's downhill all the way.

Something more strenuous? Traverse the Town Belt on the 11km Southern Walkway, which starts in Island Bay and climbs to the top of Mt Victoria, before plunging into Oriental Bay. Its 16km Northern counterpart takes in Tinakori Hill and Otari Garden (the largest single collection of native plants in the country) before winding through Khandallah to Johnsonville.

Or hike up to the impressive wind turbine on Brooklyn Hill, which appears to grow the nearer you get until you marvel under the huge spinning rotor blades at how simple it seems to harness Wellington's most famous natural asset.

Stay ... centrally at the black and angular Museum Hotel de Wheels, rolled across the road to make way for Te Papa. Most of the top hotels have stunning views (on one side) but, that aside, you could be in Anytown.

Get a better feel for the city at a unique homestay such as Edgewater at Karaka Bay, or The Lighthouse, just across Cook Strait from Antarctica, on Island Bay's Esplanade.

The city is peppered with boutique apartments, backpackers and budget accommodation. Check the Visitors Centre (details below) for availability and price.

Ride ... The one and only Cable Car from the centre of the city to the heights of robustly genteel Kelburn.

Swish round city and suburbs on the silent electric trolley-buses, or take a train out of Wellington's grand central station to the Hutt Valley or Kapiti Coast.

Risk ... life and limb aboard your scooter or skateboard, but discover some of the most challenging tarsealed terrain in the world.

Swim ... Believe it, there's great water all around. Clean inner-harbour beaches soon to be renovated with loads more sand are at Oriental Bay and Freyberg Beach. Around Pt Halswell, Balaena Bay is popular with mums and kids in the mornings, and the glorious beaches of Seatoun, Worser and Scorching bays catch the morning sun too.

Surf's up at Lyall Bay with swells rolling in from the Southern Ocean, while snorkelling at the south coast from Breaker Bay near the Wellington Heads to Island and Owhiro Bays puts you eye-to-eye with crayfish, paua and fish galore.

Eastbourne's beaches have attracted picnickers since Katherine Mansfield's day, and Petone Beach and Pier is sizeable and safe.

Wellington also sports lane-swimming at Kilbirnie's Aquatic Centre, Oriental Bay's Freyberg Pool, and come spring, outdoor pools at Thorndon and Khandallah come into their own. Pool complexes at Keith Spry in Johnsonville and a wave pool at the Porirua Aquatic Centre are also popular.

See ... The passing parade of characters on the capital's streets is fascinating and free, as are the ever-changing exhibitions at The City Gallery - on now are Rita Angus (including her views of Wellington), photographer Gavin Hipkins, the enigmatic Michael Illingworth and the emotionally charged portraits of Peter Peryer.

If it's wit and stage whispers you crave, try some of the extraordinarily healthy theatre that is staged at Bats, Circa or Downstage.

The Film Centre edits a blend of permanent and changing exhibitions tracking the history of the moving image in New Zealand, and houses the Film Archive library upstairs. Having established Wellywood in Miramar, Lord of the Flicks Peter Jackson is paying a tribute to the capital film scene by helping to refurbish the Embassy on Kent Tce. Wellington takes film seriously at the Paramount, nearby, and the Penthouse, up in Brooklyn.

Love or hate the building, Te Papa, Our Place is about the wonders within and is an essential viewing experience that brings life to New Zealand's stories, achievements, history, environment and culture in an impressive and engaging way.

Gape at the fabulous, controversial, arresting, innovative architecture in the town that spawned Athfield, Walker and Moller (yes, a Wellingtonian built the Sky Tower), where flat land is measured in degrees and no two buildings are the same.

Later on, ogle the wet strippers at the Mermaid Bar on Courtenay Place, a little piece of the red-light district that has floated down from traditionally tawdry Vivian St.

Hear ... music on every corner, and live most nights. Bodega supports New Zealand music, while Matterhorn employs the DJs, and Radio Active 89FM runs gig guides detailing the best of the rest.

If you're here to buy sounds, Flipside on Bond specialises in electronica, and Chelsea is the DJ's vinyl solution at the back of Planet Jacks in Manners Mall. Capital Music on Cuba seems to stock those albums we never thought to keep.

International quality classical and orchestral music enjoys regular capacity audiences at the Town Hall, Wellington Convention (all right, Michael Fowler) Centre and the St James.

And nothing sets the spine tingling like the roar of a 35,000 strong crowd in the Cake Tin, Wellington's familiar name for the WestpacTrust Stadium. Mostly they're yelling at a pair of opposing sports teams, but, come summer, Robbie Williams will be yelling right back.

Shop ... in department store heaven at Kirkcaldie and Stains, Wellington's own Bloomingdales, on Lambton Quay. Naturally enough, most of the high-street stores from Country Road to Farmers have gathered around, with boutiques filling the gaps in little oases like Woodward St and The Old Bank (cnr of Willis).

Stylish urban chickwear is at Starfish on Willis and River on Victoria. Karen Walker, World, Workshop and Zambesi all vie for the stylish shopping dollar.

Explore ... Further afield with trips over the Rimutakas to Martinborough in the Wairarapa - pinot noir heaven with charming accommodation at the Martinborough Hotel and Wine Centre around the town square.

Tiger Woods will make the balmy and beautiful Kapiti Coast world-famous next summer. The locals in this micro-climate have known about its charms all along.

Snorkel for kai moana at stony Makara (if you're game) or take the Days Bay Ferry to explore Matiu/Soames Island, the former pa and quarantine island in the middle of the harbour, and the leafy suburbs of Eastbourne.

* Further information at Wellington NZ.com and Smart Wellington, or call Wellington Visitor Information Centre, phone 04 802 4860.