Thursday 27 February
From Picton to Wellington
https://www.greatjourneysofnz.co.nz/interislander/experience/our-beautiful-cook-strait-crossing/
Although our Picton accommodation had been yet another Airbnb success, on that occasion all the landlords provided us with for breakfast were coffee and orange juice.
Of course Airbnb hosts are under no obligation to buy any food at all for their guests; hotels certainly don't and for health and safety purposes, landlords are often advised not to leave any food in the rental units unless they list all the possible allergens in everything they provide which is a laborious and thankless task; especially as landlords are not remunerated for any food items they do stock the fridge with, so it is understandable when they choose not to.
As busy travellers with little time to go shopping for food, we were always grateful for everything that all the generous landlords we rented from left for us.
It does make a difference when you're on a tight schedule.
But as all we had was black coffee and orange juice in our Picton apartment that morning, we set off a little earlier than planned so we could stop en route for something a little more substantial.
Our accommodation was virtually next door to the ferry port, so we decided to check ourselves in first then have something in the ferry terminal later but in Picton after check in, you just drive straight to one of the boarding gates and wait there until you're called.
Luckily for us there was an excellent breakfast truck very close to where we were asked to stop and wait so we managed to stock up with cappuccinos, muffins, bacon rolls, croissants and a scrambled egg bap.
That would certainly keep up going until our complimentary lunch on board a few hours later.
We barely had time to finish our breakfast when we were called to board our Interislander ferry.
We had managed to secure a good deal with Omega, our car hire operators in Queenstown, where our crossing to North Island including car, four passengers and lunch was included in our three week hire package.
Ferry crossings from South to North Island are not cheap so if you do travel in a hire car always ask the hire car operators whether they can include Interislander or Bluebridge ferry crossings as part of the hire package.
Car hire operators rarely offer this to people themselves but if you ask they will always try and help out.
Omega offered us the most competitive rate in a car we liked with the crossing from South to North Island as part of the package, which is why we selected them even though it meant that we had to collect our car at the airport in Queenstown the day after our arrival as they stop operating after 5:30 pm.
"The Cook Strait ferry crossing between Picton and Wellington is known as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world and is rated as a New Zealand must-do experience", that is why tickets on these ferries are not cheap.
But it is definitely something that all New Zealand travellers should aim to do if they can.
The Picton crossing was certainly a highlight of our New Zealand experience.
The website explains that "the Interislander Cook Strait ferry takes around three-and-a-half hours to travel between South and North Island".
"From Picton, the journey begins in the magnificent Marlborough Sounds".
"It is this hour long cruise through the Marlborough Sounds that makes the Cook Strait ferry a must-do experience for anyone visiting or even living in New Zealand".
We certainly agree with that.
I can't imagine that there can be a ferry trip like it anywhere else except maybe Milford Sound which we had experienced a few days earlier and our wonderful Akaroa Harbour Nature tour when we first arrived, but as they were also in New Zealand then they don't really count.
It was a lovely, sunny day when we sailed through the Marlborough Sounds on that warm summer morning. Very windy but warm and so, so beautiful.
The spectacular views on that ferry were overwhelming even before the ship left dock.
From the port at Picton, the view of Queen Charlotte Sound is mesmerising as is the view of Picton itself from the outdoor viewing deck on board the ferry.
"The first ten minutes of the Picton ferry journey took us to the entrance of the Grove Arm, at the end of which we saw Anakiwa in the distance".
"Here the Cook Strait ferry swings right and enters the Queen Charlotte Sound".
"With the hills of Marlborough all around and the sheltered, calm waters of beautiful Marlborough Sounds it felt more like cruising along a large river than crossing a channel".
"After passing Allports Island and a number of large bays on the left, the Interislander's route through the Marlborough Sounds takes a sharp right turn around Dieffenbach Point and begins its journey through the Tory Channel".
As we enjoyed perfect weather for our crossing, ours was a truly beautiful experience in every possible way: the scenery, the different shades of blue of the water as we crossed the sounds, the calm seas and the strait itself..
The website claims that the best time to cross the Cook Strait is late afternoon or early evening "when you can watch the sun sink slowly behind the hills of Marlborough".
"There is also a good chance that you will see dolphins following the ship at some point during the Cook Strait crossing".
"Other animals you might spot include seals, penguins and albatross".
Sadly we did not see dolphins or penguins on that occasion but we did see seals and Mollymawk albatross as well as cormorants, gulls and so many other birds that we couldn't identify.
Apparently "over twenty species of whales have also been spotted in Cook Strait waters and around 300 humpbacks migrate through the Cook Strait during winter"; we would have SO loved to have seen whales on our voyage.
The website claims that "on a reasonably calm sailing you can see also see a visible line where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet".
I cannot say that I noticed that line exactly but the journey is definitely different when you leave the Sounds and the Tasman sea.
"Having crossed the Cook Strait, the final stretch of the Wellington Picton ferry journey is in Wellington Harbour".
"There are no roads or homes within kilometres of the northern coastline and the hills are as wild and as rugged today as they were when Captain Cook and the early Polynesian settlers first sailed through all those years ago".
"Two lighthouses at Pencarrow Head mark the entrance to Wellington Harbour".
"The upper lighthouse was constructed in 1859 and was New Zealand's first permanent lighthouse".
"Although it was a great achievement, the early European settlers hadn't appreciated how the low sea mists and fogs would render it useless".
"It was eventually replaced in 1906 by the lower lighthouse, which is still in use".
"As you travel into the harbour, the Eastbourne hills rise on the eastern side with the Rimutaka ranges rising behind them".
"Twinkling in the distance on the north side of the harbour is Petone, where New Zealand's first European settlers docked their ships".
"In the middle of the harbour is Matiu, or Somes Island, which is thought to be the legendary landing place of the first Polynesian settler, simply known as Kupe".
"Wellington harbour, which used to be called Port Nicholson, is so big that the Wellington Picton ferry takes almost an hour to sail from the narrow entrance from the Cook Strait around to the Wellington ferry terminal on Aotea Quay".
"On a beautiful summer's day, there are few capital cities that can compete with the beauty of Wellington and arriving by ship is a truly magical experience".
We can certainly vouch for that as we did arrive in Wellington on a lovely sunny day.
But as wonderful as our arrival in Wellington was we could not help but feel nostalgic for the rugged, natural wonder of New Zealand's South Island which had given us a glimpse of how the world must have been everywhere before human beings injured it.
We only hope that the primitive, unspoilt natural beauty of South Island is cared for and protected by all future generations so it can continue to be humanity's link to a lost world which hopefully people will learn to understand and value more than they do today.
View of Picton whilst boarding our Interislander ferry in Picton harbour
Beautiful Picton from our ferry in the harbour
Sailing through Marlborough Sound
Beautiful Marlborough Sounds
Spectacular Marlborough Sounds ferry crossing
Glorious turquoise waters of Marlborough Sound in the early morning light
Spectacular Marlborough Sounds
From Queen Charlotte Sounds to the Cook Straits
Approach into Wellington Harbour
Beautiful Wellington
Wellington Harbour
Wadestown, Wellington
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadestown,_New_Zealand
Our New Zealand home for the next 7 days would be in Wadestown, a northern suburb of Wellington, located about 2–3 km by road from the Wellington central business district and the New Zealand Parliament Buildings.
It was the perfect location for us as we would be within walking distance of the city centre but also far enough out of it to continue to enjoy the beautiful New Zealand landscape.
Our accommodation on this occasion was not as large as we had hoped it would be.
The makeshift kitchen turned out to be a small sink, toaster, kettle and combo microwave.
The second bedroom consisted of two double sofa beds in the living area downstairs.
But the space was super clean, newly refurbished and very private so we would be fine there for a week.
The location of this accommodation was its best selling point.
The house we were in was Eco living at its finest.
It was built into the natural rain forest landscape which linked up with the Botanical Garden and the Zealandia wildlife enclosure so every morning we were there we were serenaded by the most glorious and melodious birdsong which at times was so loud that we couldn't have conversations with each other unless we raised our voices.
It was like nothing we had ever experienced before and would surely never experience again anywhere else.
Our landlords pointed out a few of the birds to us one of the mornings we were there. We saw kaka parrots, north Island robins, teals, grey warblers, cormorants of various types and lots of lively Tui birds. It was not always easy to see them as the rainforest vegetation all around us was pretty dense but we certainly heard them.
We were actually lucky to find any type of accommodation anywhere in Wellington at that time as we arrived during the city's popular annual Fringe Festival.
So on balance, our accommodation was fine and our landlords couldn't have been kinder.
The sofa beds were a little firm but we had one each which was good,
The youngsters had the bedroom on the upper level as they would be on tight work schedules that week so they could unwind and rest upstairs whenever they had some time off.
Our future son-in-law is a part time comedian in his spare time and had managed to secure a 7 day spot for his solo show at the 2020 Wellington fringe.
The two of us would be helping out as and when required but we were relatively free that week so we could recharge our batteries after our long drives in South Island and have a nice, relaxing week before embarking on our North Island road trip on 5 March.
We had seen our daughter's fiancé in the Sherlock show in Perth the previous month, with other UK comedians who joined them there at that time, but we had to leave for Adelaide the week before his solo show in Perth was due to start so we were looking forward to seeing it in Wellington that week.
Our daughter would be working as his technician and Venue Manager so on arrival in Wellington that day, both of them had to be driven straight from the port in Wellington to the Bats Theatre in the Mount Victoria area of Wellington for their Health and Safety briefing which was in the main a talk on what to do in the event of an earthquake.
That one hour session brought home the reality of life in New Zealand.
People living anywhere in that beautiful land, need to face the possibility of earthquakes at any time with relatively little warning.
The earthquake training session was not at all doom and gloom though.
On the contrary it was designed with comedians in mind so it was up-beat, funny and as positive as it possibly could be.
They were advised to ignore any minor tremors as they tend to occur regularly in Wellington but significant tremors or quakes themselves would need immediate evacuation.
The question on the lips of many of the foreign comedians at that session was how they would know the difference between a significant or minor tremor, the only response they received was 'believe me you'll know".
The comedians were advised not to panic if this should happen and to attempt to build the evacuation process into the comedic routine.
The technicians and venue managers were to ensure their charges were safely evacuated by whichever means designated by the theatre on any given day.
Fortunately for all of them there was no need to act upon any of the advice given on earthquake evacuation strategies as there were no tremors or quakes that week but the fact that such strategies are in place at all, totally brings home the real and ever present danger of sudden and devastating earthquakes anywhere in that wonderful country.
Our rainforest accommodation in Wadestown, Wellington
Rainforest location in Wadestown
Our Airbnb accommodation in Wadestown rainforest location
View from our bedroom from our Wadestown apartment
Glorious birdsong serenade every morning in our Wadestown rainforest accommodation
Beautiful rainforest flora just outside our mini terrace in Wadestown
Beautiful Tui bird as seen in Wadestown that week
Bats Theatre, Mount Victoria, Wellington (photo courtesy of https://neatplaces.co.nz/places/wellington/culture/bats-theatre)
The Welsh Dragon Bar, Wellington
https://www.welshdragonbar.co.nz
While our daughter and future son-in-law were at their Health and Safety talk at Bats Theatre, we had a little walk around Courtney Place and Cambridge Terrace, checking out shops, restaurants, pubs and anything else that could be of interest to us.
We found a nice pub called the Mishmosh Bar which was advertising a pub quiz there for the following evening which we thought might be fun if the others could free themselves.
There were quite a few Indian and Chinese restaurants which we liked the look of and which were conveniently located for the Bats Theatre.
What captured our curiosity as we returned to our car prior to meeting the others outside the theatre, was a little pub located on an island in between two busy roads.
From what I read later, the building this pub is in, used to be a public convenience.
There can't be many pubs anywhere that started out as gents toilets.
It was called The Welsh Dragon Bar and it claimed to be "The only Welsh pub in the Southern Hemisphere".
The Welsh flag was in evidence everywhere all around the pub, as well as other Welsh paraphernalia in red, white and green.
As a former student of the University of Wales in the 1970s, I had spent several years living in various locations around Wales but I don't ever remember seeing such a patriotically Welsh pub anywhere at that time so to see one there over 11,000 miles away from Wales on that windy Wellington afternoon, certainly captured our imagination.
The Dragon Bar describes itself as "an independent pub in the heart of Wellington, and the home of all things Welsh in New Zealand".
We can certainly confirm that.
It also claims to "serve great pub food and a wide selection of drinks, including Welsh and British beers on tap".
And it "prides itself on being a proper pub with a thriving, friendly community"..
If you're in Wellington and you're looking for something a little different then this is one to try.
I expect this is the only quirky Welsh pub of its kind anywhere, not only in the Southern Hemisphere.
Welsh Dragon Pub Wellington, formerly a public convenience (photo courtesy of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsh_Dragon_Bar,_Wellington.jpg)
This must surely be the most Welsh pub in the world - (photo courtesy of https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g255115-d3308522-i124847651-The_Welsh_Dragon_Bar-Wellington_Greater_Wellington_North_Island.html)
Quirky Welsh Dragon Pub located on an island in between two main roads (photo courtesy of https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=welsh+dragon+bar+Wellington&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=msivn&sxsrf=ALeKk01vbSqpv_x5gGBjMXem0ZECsW4iTg:1612752879884&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiU64_UpNnuAhWNTcAKHcGPAqUQ_AUoA3oECBsQAw&biw=375&bih=553&dpr=2#imgrc=LKEZMLlR7dBgEM)
The Local Dairy
Our daughter's fiancé had to stay at Bats Theatre for a rehearsal after the Health and Safety talk so we had a coffee with them at the theatre then we returned to our accommodation and agreed to meet them later for dinner.
We spent the next two hours unpacking, sorting out dirty washing, which had to be done urgently the following morning and sorting out the contents of our fridge for breakfasts and snack meals.
As in Picton, we had been provided with tea, coffee, orange juice and a few small sachets of milk but no bread, cereal, yogurt or anything else which we felt we should have as staples in our fridge for the next few days.
As we admired our wonderful rainforest location, we did wonder where the nearest supermarket was; we certainly wouldn't have been able to locate one ourselves in an area such as Wadestown so we contacted our landlords next door whose son explained that there were no supermarkets as such in that area but there was a little dairy a five minute drive away further up the hill.
We therefore set off in search of the dairy so we could buy a few staples.
As there was only a dairy, we assumed that we would only be able to buy milk, yogurt, butter, cheese and maybe eggs but that would be better than nothing.
We drove for a good 10 minutes but we came across nothing that looked like a dairy.
I don't know exactly what we expected it to look like but neither of us spotted anything that could justify being called a dairy.
We realised in time that we had driven too far so we turned back and drove back to a small parade of about three shops and asked a passer by for directions to the local dairy.
She looked at us as if we were a little simple then explained that it was just opposite where we had parked.
We did not see a dairy there but what looked like an ordinary local newsagents; but then on further examination we noticed that it also had a mini and very limited supermarket section attached to it.
It was at that point that we saw the sign 'Wadestown Dairy'.
So in New Zealand the corner shop is called a Dairy.
I expect they would have started out as dairies many years ago with milkmaid servers and churns full of milk, butter and cream but as everywhere else they became corner shops selling a little of everything (at a higher premium of course) but had retained their original names.
The shop keeper was very friendly but extremely difficult to understand.
He asked us where we were from and then he said that he was from Bangladesh but he had a brother in the north of England but we're not 100% sure.
The New Zealand accept is more difficult to understand than the Australian one but when combined with a Bangladeshi one as well, it was virtually impossible.
At least we managed to buy everything we needed and we were very happy to have found a 'dairy' so close to our accommodation.
Wadestown Dairy (photo courtesy of https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/116172760/robbery-at-wadestown-dairy-temporarily-closes-shop-doors)
How we expected a Dairy to look like (photo courtesy of http://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/12-linind/milk.htm)
Aperitivo at Bats and Dinner at Majestic Cuisine
https://bats.co.nz/about-bats/the-bats-story/
We had agreed to meet our daughter and her fiancé at Bats Theatre at 7:00 pm then join them for dinner somewhere in the Mount Victoria area.
As we had quite a few bottles of excellent Marlborough wine to drink at home, we decided that we wouldn't have too much to drink at restaurants whilst in Wellington and enjoy a glass or two when we got back home at the end of the evening.
With that in mind we decided to drive to Bats Theatre rather than walk especially as we would probably be too tired to deal with a 3 km uphill trek back home at the end of the evening.
We parked our car about 100 metres from the Welsh Pub then walked across the road to Bats Theatre.
We expected to meet them outside and toddle off together somewhere else for a drink but on arrival we were invited into Bats to the bar for drinks there at a reduced rate.
We were handed 'Fringe Helper' lanyards which would give us access to Bats and other fringe venue bars and cafés and even some shows when / if they were not sold out.
Whilst enjoying a lovely cold beer in Bat's intimate bar at the front of the theatre on the ground floor, we learnt that "BATS is a charitable trust that relies on grants and funding from generous supporters in order to survive".
As explained on the Bats Theatre website, "a dedicated team of hard-working staff keeps BATS running".
"There are six full-time staff and a excellent group of casual box office staff, bar staff, house technicians and volunteers"..
"The General Manager reports to BATS' Board of Directors who provide valuable governance of the business".
"They all work to keep their vibrant community of performance makers and art lovers at the heart of everything they do".
"BATS is operated by BATS Theatre Limited (formerly BATS Holdings Limited), a company wholly owned by the BATS Theatre Charitable Trust"
"Their iconic theatre building is owned by The Wellington Film Properties Trust who purchased number 1 Kent Terrace in late 2011, generously securing the building for BATS’ use".
"They undertook strengthening work and an incredible renovation in 2013 and 2014".
"BATS rents 1 Kent Terrace from The Wellington Film Properties Trust".
"Its landlords are not involved in the governance operation or funding of BATS theatre, but the theatre wouldn't be as successful as it was without their generous support".
As avid supporters of the Arts in any form, we were very impressed with Bats Theatre and we were so pleased to be part of the Bats family for the short time we were there in February and March 2020.
"Sadly the effects of COVID-19 and the restrictions on public gatherings has had a significant impact on BATS’ activities and abilities to generate revenue to operate".
Of course this is true of theatres, art galleries, concert halls and all other Arts venues all over the world.
"As Bats and theatres everywhere continue to try and find ways to present live art to audiences in this ever changing landscape, public support and engagement bolsters their enthusiasm and ability to deliver to their artists and the local community".
"Sponsors and donations are crucial to community theatres such as BATS".
"There are lots of ways to partner with local theatres".
"Bats includes naming rights of performance spaces, and event hosting".
Get in touch with your local theatre to see how you can support it during the Covid era.
If you live in Wellington, the Bats partnership’s manager Hannah would be very happy to discuss opportunities that will work for you.
Let's do our best to save all our local theatres and concert venues, we will be glad of it when this pandemic is finally over.
After a very pleasant drink in the Bats Theatre bar, we decided to have a very casual, informal meal at Majestic Cuisine in Courtney Place.
We selected it originally as we could order good Chinese food to take away which we could have eaten at home accompanied by our excellent Marlborough wine but when we arrived, the tables and the atmosphere were so appealing that we decided to eat in.
I ordered excellent Jasmine tea with mine as designated driver so I was more than happy to enjoy a couple of glasses of Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc when we got back home later.
We had had another excellent day in both South and North Islands and our introduction to Wellington had been perfect.
It could only get better.....at least that's what we believed then
The intimate and cosy bar at Bats Theatre Wellington (photo courtesy of https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/bats-theatre/)
Performance space at Bats Theatre Wellington (photo courtesy of https://neatplaces.co.nz/places/wellington/culture/bats-theatre)
Tom Skeleton (our daughter's fiancé) performing at Bats Theatre Wellington
Technical support from our daughter at Bats Theatre Wellington
Majestic Cuisine Wellington (photo courtesy of https://www.trip.com/travel-guide/wellington-755-restaurant/majestic-cuisine-491735/)
Excellent Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc. A perfect end to another perfect day in beautiful New Zealand
Friday 28 February 2020
Our first walk into Wellington
Although we ended up having a later night than originally planned, we got up earlier that day than most other days on our entire trip.
The Wadestown dawn chorus woke us up at around 5:30 am and going back to sleep after that was totally impossible.
We heard what sounded like squawking parrots right outside our sleeping area.
When I looked out of our window, I could see several large brown parrot type birds flitting noisily through the trees surrounding our accommodation.
The rainforest location of this accommodation meant that our window was just a few inches from several large fern trees which were particularly popular with the parrots.
Whenever they landed then set off again for another location in those trees, they squawked very loudly in unison just to make that everyone in the surrounding area knew they were there.
We learnt later that week in Zealandia that these Kaka parrots were the New Zealand equivalent of mischievous chimps.
That we could definitely believe.
Our daughter and her fiancé managed to sleep through it all miraculously which was good as they would be starting work that day and it would be a straight run of 7 very late nights so it was good to know that the Kakas weren't going to wake them up at dawn every morning.
As we were up so early we texted our landlady about using their washing machine which was available to their guests as required.
It was another sunny morning so our landlady offered to hang it out on the washing line on their terrace so it would have that fresh outdoor smell which is far more pleasant than when it is tumble dried.
We then joined the others for breakfast before setting off on our first walk into central Wellington from our accommodation in the the hills of Wadestown.
My husband decided to stay at home for a little longer then join us later in the car.
Our walk was delightful even though the sun had retreated and had been replaced by clouds and even a little rain.
It was a beautiful walk; one of many we enjoyed during our time in Wellington.
As we walked down the hill from Wadestown, we enjoyed lovely views of the port which we had sailed through the previous day.
We then walked through the CBD and Wellington's political hub where we had our first glimpse of the famous Beehive.
Not long after, we passed the newly revitalised dockland area on our left which we got to know better the following day.
From there it was a short sprint to Bats Theatre past the New World supermarket which I was determined to visit later that afternoon.
I left our daughter and her fiancé at Bats Theatre where they would be working for most of the day and I continued my walking tour of Wellington.
Kaka parrot as seen outside our accommodation that morning (photo courtesy of http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/kaka)
Beautiful and noisy Kaka parrot (photo courtesy of https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/257831147392878432/)
The beautiful port of Wellington as seen on our walk from Wadestown
New Zealand's famous Beehive in Wellington political hub
Seagull or Albatross?
https://teara.govt.nz/en/albatrosses/page-5
http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-gull-and-albatross
I continued my walk along Courtney Place, past where we had eaten the previous evening.
I walked through the Tory Street junction and continued on Courtney Place until I reached the Dixon Street and Manners Street fork and Te Aro park in between.
My husband was now en route so we agreed to meet in the Te Aro park area.
I bought myself a coffee and sat on a bench near a pretty water feature where I was joined by a family of rather noisy gulls.
I noticed after a while that one of those 'gulls' was considerably larger than the others and kept himself to himself rather than engage in the noisy squealing with the rest of them.
His behaviour and demeanour reminded me of the Royal Albatross at Taiaroa Head but I realised he couldn't possibly be a Royal due to his much smaller stature but the more I observed him, the more I became convinced that he wasn't a gull but some sort of albatross.
I was correct.
I discovered later that this was a Mollymawk or Thalassarche albatross.
The species of albatross we would have seen had we stayed in Kaikoura longer.
"Shy Mollymawks are the most abundant albatrosses in the New Zealand region, with 70,000–80,000 breeding pairs on the Auckland Islands."
"Another 20 pairs breed on Bollons Island in the Antipodes group".
"They have a white head with pale grey cheeks and dark eyes, and a grey bill with pale yellow top and brighter yellow tip".
"Wings are black on top, white with a fine black margin underneath".
I was so happy to have spotted an albatross whilst on a city walk in Wellington; it felt like such an achievement.
I didn't realise then just how common these Mollymawks are in New Zealand; we saw them almost every day in Wellington then again on our travels when we stopped in coastal regions and on several occasions in Auckland.
I expect we saw them is South Island as well but assumed they were larger sea-gulls.
We had grown so accustomed to them that when we were back in Sydney in mid March we actually missed them.
They are beautiful, graceful birds and watching them glide across the skies above you is almost hypnotic.
I do hope we will have the opportunity to return to beautiful New Zealand and see them again at some point in the future
Seagull or Albatross?
Mollymawk Albatross in Te Aro Park Wellington
Albatross in the streets of Wellington
Shy Mollymawk Albatross in Te Aro Park, Wellington
Te Aro Park in Central Wellington (photo courtesy of https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122869163)
Panhead Microbrewery
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/80458609/wellington-brewery-panhead-custom-ales-sold-to-lion-group
My husband arrived at Te Aro park in time to admire the Mollymawk before it flew away.
He had parked at the end of Tory Street around the corner from an interesting microbrewery pub which he quite liked the look of so we decided to go there for lunch.
We had agreed to help our daughter and her fiancé with leaflet distribution later if required so we could have lunch at the pub and contact them afterwards.
The pub was called Panhead and it was indeed a local microbrewery owned by New Zealander Mike Neilson but we learnt later online that in 2016 it was sold to international brewing giant, Lion Group.
Former owner Mike Neilson planned to stay involved and continue in his managerial role.
"It will be business as usual", he said at the time.
"I will hand over the running of the company to businesspeople".
"The best part is I will get back to brewing."
Well he clearly did just that and he did it well as this was one of our favourite breweries anywhere.
Some of the pale ales on offer certainly matched the excellent quality ales we had sampled at the Moa brewery in Marlborough.
The Pale Ale Quickchange and the Elderflower batch 132 were my particularly favourites.
They also served a good cup of Earl Grey which is always a good sign.
The outdoor terrace atmosphere was also to our liking so it appeared that we had found our local for that week.
Wellington was beginning to feel like home.
We enjoyed a delicious burger and roasted vegetable salad lunch with our excellent ales followed by a cup of freshly brewed coffee which was also very good indeed.
We decided we would eat there again soon with our daughter and future son-in-law as we were sure they would love it as much as we did.
Ordering our drinks at the bar at Panhead, Wellington
Enjoying the beer garden at Panhead
Panhead, Wellington