At TRENZ, GreatSights announced that they are about to launch the Capital Explorer Bus, enabling travellers to hop on and hop off wherever they like in Wellington. With 11 dedicated stops, the one-hour round trip has a set route stopping at iconic places including Te Papa, parliament buildings, Wellington Zoo, Zealandia: The Kaori Sanctuary Experience, and many more.

Affectionately known as HOHO (hop on, hop off), the 30-seat bus will allow patrons to purchase a ticket that is valid for 24 hours (opposed to a one-day ticket). This will allow them to board and exit the bus as many times as they like during the time period.

The bus will help showcase many of Wellington’s world-class attractions and allow visitors to get around the capital city with ease!

Full disclosure – it’s my job to promote New Zealand. So take this post with whatever grain of salt you need, but it’s a post from my heart.

Yesterday morning I got up early and looked out my window and saw a farmers’ market directly across from my hotel. I had planned to go to the City Market at Chaffers Marina, but hadn’t realized that I was staying so close.

I did a quick little tour and then headed to the coffee stand. As they made my flat white, the baristas asked me where I was from and we got to chatting. I got my coffee and prepared to head back around the market and one of the baristas asked, “Where are you going?”

I didn’t quite know what to say, so I laughed and said, “To the market.”

“Stay here and have your coffee with us.”

That’s why I love New Zealand. It was the two baristas, who then proceeded to introduce me to anyone who came for a coffee over the next five minutes so I’d “know a few people here.” It’s the people at the jam, jelly and cheese counter, who took the time to tell me about their small company and explained how they make their products. It’s the security guard who took the time to walk me over to the other part of the farmers’ market so I could find the City Market – which is a little bit more upscale. It’s the taxi driver who, when I arrived five minutes late to be picked up and taken to the train station, laughed off my apologies and said, “We’ve got a few extra minutes, do you want me to take you back to the market?”

There are a lot of great things to see and do in New Zealand, but none of them would be as exceptional if it wasn’t for the people. Kiwis are an incredible bunch and from North Island to South Island, coast-to-coast, they can be as different as they come, but they all have one thing in common – they are warm and friendly.

Engineers and other smart people told him that it was impossible. It couldn’t be done. There is a certain group of people in the world (I might be one of them…) that when you say you can’t do it, that only makes them more determined to do it. Railroad tracks were built. They lifted the building onto a rail car and they moved it across the street.

Staying here thrills me to no end. I have a great view, the hotel is unique, interesting, incredibly comfortable and it’s right in the heart of things. There is a grocery store just down the street, Te Papa is across the road and you can walk to lots of cafes and restaurants.

There is something magical happening just minutes from Wellington – Zealandia: The Karori Sanctuary Experience. It is an award-winning eco-attraction that provides unrivalled opportunities to see kiwis, tuatara, kaka birds and dozens of other species found nowhere else in the world.

There is a permanent exhibition at Zealandia that is the world’s first facility fully dedicated to showcasing New Zealand’s natural history and world famous conservation movement.

Zealandia did something very interesting.  They took a huge amount of land and fenced it off. What’s so interesting about that you might ask? Zoos all over the world do that. Well, the smart people at Zealandia did it so that they could keep out all the predators. Now mammals like the possum and rats that were brought into New Zealand by settlers and are responsible for the endangered state of the kiwi and other natural birds aren’t able to hunt here. As a result, they are seeing an increase in kiwis and other birds, as well as a few insects like the giant weta.

We took what is called the Zealandia by Night tour. Over 100 kiwis call the sanctuary home, so we were hoping to see one.

Our guide, Allison, was amazing. She is a volunteer and has been involved with the sanctuary for more than a decade. You can tell that she really loves her role here. When I heard a noise, she identified the bird, whether it was male or female and the area it came from. When I couldn’t hear anything, she did and knew where the kiwi was headed.

To not startle any of the little creatures, no flash can be used so there are no pictures of our actual tour. It was an exceptional experience – being in the dark forest, the sounds and smells and feeling of it all. I was very thankful that there are no snakes in New Zealand!

At one point, I was walking beside our guide as we looked for kiwis and she whispered: “Kiwi!” And I looked down and there was the country’s national symbol, right at our feet. It was quite an exciting moment. Not many people have seen a kiwi in their natural environment and now I have joined that little group.

We kept searching for kiwis throughout the forest and we heard many of them calling to each other. We heard about eight kiwi calls, which according to Allison, is a very active night.

giant weta

She also explained how the conservation part of the sanctuary works and during her stories, she told us about a giant weta. It turns out that they put tracking devices on the bugs too, which I thought was pretty funny. At one point, they had lost track of a giant weta and were worried. It then showed up on their tracking devices and it seemed to be going up and down the river that runs through the sanctuary. They couldn’t quite figure that out, until they realized that the tracking device and the giant weta were in the belly of an eel that was swimming up and down the river.

Seeing Zealandia made me realize how fragile our world is and it also made me thankful for people like Allison, who contribute their time to educate visitors.

Te Papa (as it is commonly called) is New Zealand’s national museum, where you can explore the great stories of this fascinating land and the people who live here. The past, present and future are exhibited in provocative and entertaining ways.

Te Papa is six floors full of amazing artifacts, information and New Zealand culture. It is the most interactive museum I have ever seen and there is something for everyone.

I was taken on a tour by Darren Joseph Luke, a young Maori man. Darren is very knowledgeable about the history of New Zealand and the Maori culture. When you have the opportunity to connect with the people that live here, you get to hear a little bit more about the country’s past and present. Meeting Darren, I got a little glimpse into the future too. If there are young people like him out there, learning and sharing the history of New Zealand, that means something.

One of the other surprising things about Te Papa is that it is free. There are donation boxes, but there is no admittance fee.

Te Papa is a real treasure and one that I am grateful that I got to experience.

Wellington is such a compact city, it lends itself to walking. In fact, Wellingtonians are some of the fittest New Zealanders, with 11 percent walking to work.

Our group was made up of our exceptional tour guide Manfred Berthold, Carolyn Galloway – a young woman from Australia, Joanne Gourley of Tourism New Zealand Auckland, Makiko Ehara of Sunnyside Up – the agency that provides public relations for Tourism New Zealand in Japan, and Makiko’s colleague Akiko Takahashi.

We started at the Hill Street Farmers’ Market. This is a fairly new market in the city, but if the choice and quality of the offerings are any indication, it will be growing. The vendors were so friendly. As we were leaving a guy selling fish literally chased us down the street so he could give Manfred a big piece of smoked fish. That is a visual I will have for sometime, this big man running down a city street waving a large chunk of smoked fish over his head!

We then went for coffee at Mojos, which I was very grateful for. I love coffee, and so do Kiwis. New Zealander’s take their coffee very seriously and it never fails that when I ask them about it, a lively conversation of what makes good coffee ensues. I have heard several people who have visited tell me that outside of Italy, New Zealand has the best coffee in the world.

We then went to a grocery store. Really? A grocery store on a tour? Moore Wilson Fresh is fantastic. Perhaps it is because they have different things from what I would find in a gourmet grocery store at home. We had a great cheese tasting here.

We then headed over to Kura Gallery for a honey tasting. The art gallery was amazing. I saw a piece in there that will stay in my dreams for quite a while. (I wonder what it would cost to ship it home?)

Then we went to Ciocco Chocolaterie and Espresso Bar for a chocolate tasting. That was so much fun. The chocolate artist infuses chocolate with lavender, strawberries, black pepper, Earl Grey tea, and many other interesting ingredients.

Then it was off to Floriditas Café and Restaurant for lunch and, of course, wine. We started with a La Strada Rose from Marlborough, which was lovely, light and perfect for the moment. With our main course (see why we need to walk!) we had a Love Point Chardonnay from Martinborough. I had to sneak out a bit early as I was due at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, so I missed the next course, which I think was dessert. Like I needed to eat any more…

I saw a sign on my way out that I thought was worth sharing. “Feeling stressed…that’s just desserts spelled backwards – get a piece of cake, you’ll feel better.”

I have to say, the Zest Food Tour was excellent. Manfred is knowledgeable and friendly and he brought Wellington to life for me.

Click here to see more yummy images!

It happens to all travelers, you arrive somewhere and it feels “right.” That’s how I feel about Wellington. It’s a fabulous city with a range of things to do, great restaurants, interesting exhibits and art galleries. And you don’t have to go far to connect with nature.

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand with a population of 386,000. The number of great restaurants, cafes, exhibits and activities seem to be larger than expected for a city this size. It has the best of both worlds – great variety and quality with a small town feel.

Wellington is a spectacular city. I wish I had more time here. It has very friendly people, even by Kiwi standards. Wellington has an interesting history and is connected to the Maori culture.

I had dinner with the lovely Jo Heaton from Positively Wellington Tourism last night. Jo picked me up at the amazing Museum Hotel, where I am staying until Monday. As soon as I arrived in Wellington, I knew I loved the place. The same can be said about the Museum Hotel. I will do a blog post later on the hotel.

Jo took me to Matterhorn, a local icon.

Choosing wine for me

Matterhorn is a busy, bustling place. And I have to say, all of the staff looked like supermodels. For such a popular place, everyone at Matterhorn was so down to earth. I have to admit, that took me by surprise. It shouldn’t, the place is full of Kiwis – the most down to earth people in the world!

I’ve been to some nice places and had the experience ruined because of pretentious staff, not at Matterhorn. It was like I had walked into a place that was full of friends.

Our server was exceptional (and shame on me for not getting his name!). I think I was too busy admiring his model good looks to think straight…

I can’t say enough about this restaurant – great wine list, great food, staff that knows their stuff and they make you feel taken care of and welcome. Amazing.

Matterhorn is just one reason to come to Wellington. I bet I find more today!