I bloody love a good day in Wellington and now the rest of the world has cottoned on!
Recently, I hear, we were voted best place to live in the world (woop woop!). Nowhere else will you get the most delicious food, the best shopping and some of the most stunning views. But let’s be honest - I be preaching to the choir here!! You love Welly too, right! As a celebration of our recent success, I decided to update the 24-Hour Guide I did last year (or rather, add a new one) to give you even MORE ideas about how to spend one perfect day in the Capital.
Of course, none of this is particularly useful if you don’t have a decent camera to document it on - if you didn’t gram it, did it even happen? I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to put new Samsung Galaxy A7 phone to the test and see how it held up against a day in the windy city, from my morning-lit coffee right through to dark Newtown Ramen Noodles.
Basically, the Galaxy A Series is Samsung’s new solution to a mid-range phone with all the bells and whistles without the hefty price tag and it comes in three sizes (A3, A5 and A7), so you’ve got plenty of options for your price range!
The first thing that got me going was the impressive 16 Mega Pixel (go on - say it in the Transformers Voice like ‘MEGATRON’ - no?) selfie and rear camera. It even has low-light photo capabilities – ‘cause what’s harder than trying to take photos in the dark? The A7 is super sleek with a nice wide screen, measuring in at over 5.5 inches - perfect for bringing on YouTube videos (my fav Saturday morning activity). It's pretty rad that Samsung have made something that not only was light & easy to carry around but got all the jobs done that I needed and still comes in at an affordable price point. All these photos were taken on the Samsung Galaxy A7. Oooh la la!
Back to Wellington - what should you do, according to a local expert (aka me) to experience a perfect 24 hours (and is a bit more jazzy than the standard stuff you can find on the internet when you Google ‘Wellington - what to do?’)? Allow me, dear reader, to guide the way…
8:30 am - BREAKFAST AT PREFAB
Beat the crowds and head to Wellington’s most popular brunch spot - Prefab Eatery and Bakery. This place is the SHIZZLE, with an ever consistent, yet ever changing seasonal menu. I made sure to zoom in on all the little extras, from pickles, to cups, to bread with the built-in food filter on the A7 to get the best snap for the ‘gram. Prefab is the place that EVERYONE enjoys - and will serve you up everything from chia pudding and green juice through to pizza with wedges and BBQ sauce on top. Great service, great atmosphere, don’t miss it!
10:30 - DISCOVER THE LANEWAYS & LOCAL STREET ART
Walk a little past Moore Wilson’s and you’ll find the street is as alive as the food scene in Welly. Wellington is a hub of local street art, hiding around every corner. Local artists from Xoe Hall, Gina Kiel and the artists formerly known as BMD adorn slabs of concrete, trailing through the Wellington Laneways. Check out Jessie Street, the car park opposite Taranaki Street and around Leeds Street for an eye-boggling experience. Make sure you look up their Instagram accounts and follow them, tagging them as you go on any uploads.
11:30 - BOUTIQUE BINGE
While so many places are homogenous when it comes to the local shopping scene, in Wellington, we like to keep it real and embrace the multi-brand boutique wholeheartedly. Definitely make sure you stop by Caughley, Area 51 and Good as Gold for clothes and accessories. If you feel high-rolling, stop into Deadly Ponies and TwentySeven Names (all around Ghuznee and Cuba Street - so within a 1km radius). If you want to look for gifts, def check out Magnolia in Wellington, which has an epic selection of gifts. It’s never too early to start planning my birthday and Christmas wish lists, and while my brain is mighty, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it has anything close to the 30GB of memory that the A7 has – so it was very handy to be able to jot some notes down as I went. Plus, as yet the top of my head does not feature an additional memory card slot, yet another way in which this technology has outstripped me.
1pm - LUNCH AT SCOPA
After shopping around Cuba Street, you’ll be getting hungry again. Pull up a chair at Scopa Cucina and watch the piping hot pizza being prepared before your eyes. Make sure you also try their world famous hot chocolate and slather your slices in chilli oil. Scopa also has a great range of options for those who prefer pasta so do take your time and explore the menu thoroughly. Time for a foodgram!
2:30 - EXPLORE MOORES
Now you’ve stuffed yourself, you might feel like you need a break from food. Except - YOUR IN WELLINGTON - so that’s totally out of the question. Even if you’re in Wellington for just a day, you simply HAVE to go and check out the wonderful artisan products at Moore Wilson’s. It is like an art gallery for foodies! From Levin-grown produce to cakes from Cuba Street, Moore Wilson’s has the best of what’s local, both in Wellington and across New Zealand. Buy yourself a bunch of flowers - just because you deserve it! Normally, I’d be scrapping around in my handbag around now in the day, looking for my charger and somewhere to plug it in. Luckily, this wasn’t an issue with the A7 (I was super impressed by how long the battery lasted – something I really need considering how much time I spend on my phone).
4:30 - HEAD TO MAKARA AND WATCH THE SUNSET
Here’s a crazy idea - getting in a car in Wellington! Didn’t hire one? No worries - Mevo, who are an electric car hire company, can get you on the road. They have pods at Chaffers Marina (a 10 minute walk away from Cuba Street towards Oriental Parade) and along the waterfront towards Shed 5 restaurant.
Hop in and glide in your hybrid Audi towards the coast of Wellington, through sleepy Karori and down into the valleys of Makara. When you get there, you’ll see one of the most beautiful sunsets, taking a short hike up the hill from the beach. Watch the sun go down and contemplate how lucky we are while savouring the memory with a quick snap. And should you find yourself accosted by a cheeky seal who whips your phone out of your hand and into the Cook Strait, never fear! The A7 is water resistant up to 1.5 metres for up to half an hour, giving you plenty of time to retrieve it from the briny depths.
6:30 - DINE AT RAMEN NOODLE SHOP
Speaking of seaweed, one of the most simple and delicious places to eat in Wellington has to be the Ramen Noodle Shop. After a long day of exploring, you’ll be ready for a steaming bowl of noodles. Seaweed, Crispy Pork Belly and Broth? Who could say no to that!? Located in the heart of Newtown, you’ll need to drive back from Makara, through to the outskirts of the city, and find a park somewhere nearby. Ramen Noodle Shop make the best pork bao in Wellington and have even more excellent beer and wine to match. When you’re full consider heading to Moon Bar - there is often great live music there and you can check out some of Wellington’s local band talent! Now’s a great time to work that low-light camera! Stay for a few drinks and then order an Uber home. Goodnight Wellington!
The Samsung Galaxy A Series ranges from RRP$499 (Galaxy A3) to RRP$899 (Galaxy A7). For further information, please visit the website.
* This blog post was kindly sponsored by the good folk at Samsung. I borrowed the A7 for 10 Days to give it a whirl! As usual, all opinions are my own.
If you want more cool stories about Wellington and exclusive snapshots of life in the city, subscribe to the blog (above), follow onYouTube, Instagram, Twitter and add me on Snapchat (residents_welly).
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