{"id":6318,"date":"2013-04-24T16:19:31","date_gmt":"2013-04-24T09:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsdavedoing.com\/?p=6318"},"modified":"2020-11-23T22:49:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T22:49:08","slug":"glorious-stay-wellington-kiwi-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsdavedoing.com\/glorious-stay-wellington-kiwi-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"A glorious stay in the Kiwi capital"},"content":{"rendered":"
It was hard to believe that we were almost halfway through our time in New Zealand.\u00a0 We’d made it right up to Cape Reinga at the very top of the North Island and now, four weeks later, were rolling into Wellington at the very bottom.\u00a0 The capital city is renowned for wet and windy weather – I’d had plenty of it on previous visits – and yet, as with almost all of the previous month, the sun was shining as we drove along the waterfront.<\/p>\n
After all of the dire warnings I had given Lauren about what a New Zealand summer could be like, we had enjoyed almost embarrassingly glorious weather. The harbour sparkled in the afternoon light, bars and cafes full to the brim.\u00a0 It was a weekday, but it seemed like most of the city had better things to do than sit inside an office.\u00a0 On a day like this, that was hardly a surprise.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
We were staying at Downtown Backpackers, a sprawling multi-story building on the waterfront near both train and ferry terminals.\u00a0 A former historic hotel, the hostel was a professionally-run outfit complete with travel desk, restaurant and bar and hundreds of backpackers passing through each day.\u00a0 Somehow, despite that, it retained a cozy, rustic feel in our private ensuite room and had some lovely art deco touches throughout, and we really enjoyed our time there.<\/p>\n
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As with many hostels in New Zealand, the only disappointment was the internet.\u00a0 In a city that provides extensive free public wifi, it seemed incomprehensible that anywhere would continue to offer the gouging Zenbu pay-per-megabyte service<\/a> ($1 per 10MB).\u00a0 As a result we used our phones and Xcom<\/a> devices when in the hostel, and free options when out exploring.\u00a0 Despite that, though, I’d definitely still recommend Downtown Backpackers if you’re looking for an efficient, well-located budget place to stay in Wellington.<\/p>\n We had four nights in the capital, a welcome change from the frantic pace that we had been setting.\u00a0 One of the highlights of the city is Cuba Street, and my feet somehow seemed to set a course for it every day without conscious thought.\u00a0 Whether it was a leisurely brunch with other bloggers, pizza with old friends or a cheap and excellent Mexican dinner, this quirky one-kilometre strip of cafes, restaurants and boutique shops was a regular fixture throughout my stay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n