Water and city views in Wellington – New Zealand – March 2017

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Coene's Restaurant, New Zealand, Oriental Bay, Wellington

My last day in Wellington

On the last day of my recent visit to Wellington, my friend Nicola drove me to a hilltop suburb called Kelburn.  On the drive up I saw parts of the Botanical Gardens and the hillside terraced houses of the suburb.  I really wanted to walk through the gardens but I didn’t have enough time unfortunately.

 At the top of the hill at Kelburn is the Wellington Cable Car which takes about five minutes into the city.  It’s been running for many years and takes about five minutes from the top of the hill to reach the city.  Many of the residents of Kelburn use this mode of transport to get to and from the city every day.

 We then went for a drive out of Wellington and upon our return to the city we stopped off at a lovely waterfront pub.  We were lucky on two accounts, firstly the weather was lovely and secondly there was a vacant table outside overlooking the boats and water.

We sat around for about an hour enjoying a glass of New Zealand white wine and Nic ordered some fresh bread with flavoured olive oils and a little bowl of olives.  The menu had lots of good snacks but I knew I would be eating on the plane as I had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal, so didn’t order anything else.

Then it was time to freshen up before my three hour return flight to Canberra.  It’s great that it’s a direct flight from Wellington; so much easier than having to stop off at either Sydney or Melbourne.  We dropped into my friend’s city apartment and then head off to the airport.  This apartment was stunning with magnificent views of the water.

Not sure when I will get back to Wellington but I do know that I would love to visit New Zealand’s other major city; Auckland.  Maybe next year!!

Oriental Bay Homes – Wellington – New Zealand – February 2017

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New Zealand, Oriental Bay, Wellington

Walking along Oriental Bay foreshore

During my recent visit to Wellington, I decided each morning to take a lengthy stroll along Oriental Bay which is very lovely in the early morning.  But this time instead of looking at the water as I did in my October visit last year, I thought I would check out the apartments and homes along the other side of the road. And also the little boat houses along the water front…so sweet!

I do love modern buildings but along this foreshore it’s the older  and refurbished homes that are really lovely.  In the 1950’s Oriental Parade only had a mix of grand homes and smaller villas but with the changing times, up to seven storey apartments blocks have made their way along the parade.

These modern buildings do overshadow some of the smaller homes which is a shame, but I must say that I would definitely live in one of the newer two storey homes with huge glass windows and large balconies overlooking the water.

But it’s good to see that the delightful and beautifully restored homes are plentiful along the road and up in the hills.  some not restored but still with such character.

And for those of us who cannot afford these homes, there  are some very glamorous looking garages that could be converted (?) but I guess owners would not be that willing to part with these homes for their cars!! Then there are pictures of homes painted on the rock walls.  A couple of these are along the rock face and add colour to the drabness of the walls.

And colourful little shops between big buildings…I like how these older buildings look and how they have not been sold to make way for taller buildings (yet).

And more lovely refurbished homes…

I must say as I was walking along the water front each morning I really enjoyed looking at the lovely homes and catching people having their breakfast before heading out to work.  And I really would have loved to see inside homes at the top of the hills – I think they would have been pretty special but no chance as the only way to enter the home is to park your car down in the garage off the road and take the electric lift up to the house.  I saw one lady and her golden retriever dog out for a walk one day and then both hop into the lift to return home – sweet!!  Dog knew exactly what to do as soon as the door was opened by it’s owner.

Also along Oriental Bay there are a set of seven villas which are dubbed the ‘seven sisters’.

(source: http://www.kiwiarthouse.co.nz)

They are beautifully restored homes and whilst my camera (or perhaps it’s my skills) could not take all seven together, I did manage to capture all from different angles.

Lovely sights; lovely city!!