Day 19 Windy Wellington

8th January 2023

I was surprised to learn that Wellington is considered to be the world’s windiest city, by average wind speed, because we didn’t experience any wind there on either of the two afternoons, nights and mornings we were there. We’ve been told that is unusual because very windy weather is the norm in the city. Wellington, or Windy Welly to locals, is the southernmost national capital city in the world, with a latitude of about 41°S which places it right in the zone of the roaring forties, found between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The city is also exposed to the high winds that blow through the Cook Strait.

We didn’t get to see much of Wellington because, to use a metaphor apt to New Zealand’s capital city, we just breezed through the city on the way to and back from the South Island. We spent a night in the Copthorne Hotel in Oriental Bay on the harbour front before catching the ferry to Picton and again when we returned 6 days’ later.

When we first got into the city on our way south, we saw some strange things going to our hotel that clearly warranted further investigation.

As well as being New Zealand’s political capital, the city is also hailed as New Zealand’s cultural and creative capital – the capital of cool – and, despite its relatively small population of less than half a million, it is a very active centre for the arts, restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment. Renowned filmmakers, Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor and others have established a world class film-making, post-production and special effects centre in Miramar, a district in the east of the city, hence its nickname, Wellywood. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Avatar are just two of the internationally acclaimed films shot partly or wholly in Wellington. There is also a very lively music, theatre and opera scene.

There are lots of sculptures in public places in the city and the Wellington City Walk takes you past 17 sculptures within a 3km area around the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

On the way to the South Island we noticed two artist working on a Henri Rousseau inspired mural on the walls of the QT Hotel, which is diagonally opposite the road from Te Pape and just a few blocks from our hotel. The front wall facing the road was already completed and they were about halfway through painting the wall around the side. By the time we had checked into our hotel and got back there the artists had already packed up and gone for the day. So I was curious to see whether they had finished their work when we got back from the South Island.

And I am very glad to say that they had finished it and it was beautifully done!

The QT Hotel’s website describes itself thus: Surprise yourself at QT Wellington, a significant fusion of expressive and luxurious art, technology and indulgence. Loosely based in the new creative capital of the South, QT Wellington is a warm invitation to explore and define one of New Zealand’s most eclectic collections of art and character. This is the ideal hub for cultural connoisseurs from around the world, framed in designer opulence and showcased at a gallery opening that never closed. We’re eager to see what you will bring.

The precise meaning of some of that deliciously purple prose is not clear but, naturally it made me want to go and see it for myself, and, yes, the hotel is certainly opulent and it displays a lot of art work.

The hotel website describes their très chic restaurant, Hippopotamus, thus:

Strut in as proud as a peacock to be served flamboyant Parisian chic. Enter the eclectic world of a fabby French grandma who knows how to drink. Pops of colour on plush textures and a bevy of bedazzled chandeliers. Cuisine that’s made to match the ooh la la theme, we say santé! Come raise a glass where the refined get comfy. Hippopotamus is where we elevate you in Wellington dining elegance.

Named after the world’s giant aquatic ballet dancer, Hippo has a real taste of the majestic. Decadent degustation executed with finesse. French flavours pirouette with locally grown produce.

Sip in Harbour-view sparkle with wine to match the delicacies. We’re pouring green fairy-inspired cocktails for a night of liberté and vogue. By day, indulge in the strawberry shortcake and be treated to the exquisitely sweet. Golden hour breakfasts and high tea worthy of glamour royalty.

Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). – Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/ Through the Looking Glass

We’ve had lots of tantalizing glimpses of intriguing and sometimes bizarre things on our brief sojourns in this city and we’d like to return to explore Wellington in depth some time in the not-too-distant future.