Winter in Wellington

Top Ten

Are you staying in Wellington during this wintry mid-year break

and not sure how to spend your time? Then don’t despair! Here

are out Top Ten things to do so you won’t get bored or descend

into wintry gloom! Try some of these out and let us know how

goes.

Click on the titles below to see more.

1. VOLUNTEER

Want to spend your free time in a meaningful way and connect with the Wellington community at the same time? Then voluntary work is one of the best options! Volunteering not only provides people with confidence, skills and motivation, but it turns them into positive and creative contributors of society. What more could you wish for ?

Contact Volunteer Wellington the directly to discuss the available volunteer options: Level 3, Community House, 84 Willis Street - 499 4570 - admin@volunteerwellington.org.nz.

2. BROWSE

→ Every Saturday 10am – 4pm: Wellington Underground Market

Wellington Underground Market is an exciting place to shop every Saturday from 10am to 4pm. You will find everything from designer fashion, handmade jewellery, screen printed lamps, children's clothes, one off cushions, unique sweets, amazing cupcakes, delicious jams, locally produced olive oil, scrumptious ethnic food plus heaps more. All to the great sounds of live local

music and a fantastic, vibrant atmosphere. Every month they have a larger "Theme Markets" with specialty stalls alongside all our regular designers.

21st July - Retro, Recycled, Restored This theme market is so popular it happens twice per year!

* Recycled designer garments

* Crockery

* Books

* Collectables * And lots more... Bag yourself a treasure!

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Volunteer

Browse

Explore

Taste

Move

Watch

Indulge

Learn

Plan

Nest

→ Sat 16 June, 11:30am – 3pm: Strathmore Community School Family

Fundraiser

Looking for a bargain or are you craving some good old fashion home baking?

Come on down to the Strathmore Community School Family Fundraiser. Jumble

Sale, food stalls, car wash plus activities for the whole family. Raising funds for

Years 5 and 6 students to go on camp! Come and join the fun – rain or shine.

Location Strathmore Community School, 43 Strathmore Ave, Strathmore Park

→ Friday 22 June, 7-9:30pm: Midwinter Shopping Soiree

Come in from the cold and warm up whilst you mingle amongst some of Wellingtons premier craftspeople. A wide selection of art, crafts, food and fashion will be showcased alongside winter pampering treatments. Get some hot tips for this season from a talented hairdressing and beauty team and have a session with top freelance makeup artists from Core Makeup. This is a perfect way to celebrate a midwinter's evening in Wellington! Tickets: $10 (includes a drink on arrival and a goodie bag). Location: Cardinal McKeefry School, corner of Wilton & Abermarle Road, Wilton.

email midwintershopping@gmail.com or go to www.strawberryjam.co.nz to purchase tickets online.

→ Sat 7 July, 10am - 1.:20pm: Hataitai Community Market Come along to the Hataitai Community Market and see for yourself what is behind the fence of this over-100-year-old bowling club. Grab a coffee and check out the stalls upstairs, downstairs and outside. They have over 25 stalls, selling food, sweets and cakes, Hataitai-grown fruit and vegetable, preserves, plants and garden items, clothes and toys, baby items, crafts and jewellery, books and second hand vintage and retro clothes, recycled furniture and household items and man many more things. Bring your family, friends and flatmates for a wander through the old bowling club. Its setting is pretty, with trees as a back drop and the expansive green. Location: Hataitai Bowling and Petanque Club, 157 Hataitai Rd, Hataitai

3. EXPLORE

The Wellington region has lots more to offer than the CBD and inner-city suburbs, so use your holiday time to explore some of the areas you haven’t seen yet. A great way to do this is by hopping on a train and heading to Lower & Upper Hutt, to the towns along the Kapiti Coast or to the Wairarapa region with its picturesque villages.

→ A Day Rover ticket ($13) is available for all-day train travel (during off peak times, after 9.00am weekdays, all day on weekends and Public Holidays) on the services between Wellington, Waikanae, Upper Hutt and Johnsonville. A Group Rover costs only $35 for

4 people so get your friends along for a wonderful daytrip!

→ A Wairarapa Day Excursion Ticket ($20) gets you a same-day return fare for travel between Wellington and the Wairarapa (Featherston, Carterton, Masterton, etc). Wairarapa Group Excursion tickets cost $55 for up to four people – another great bargain!

For more info, check the TranzMetro website: http://www.tranzmetro.co.nz/Fares.aspx

4. TASTE

→ Cheap eats: many Wellington restaurants have bargain lunch & dinner deals on offer - here are some of our favourites for you to try out:

Chow (45 Tory Street): 2 for 1 meals on Mondays (no bookings)

The Library (53 Courtenay Pl): 2 for 1 desserts on Tuesday nights

Istanbul (156 Cuba Street): 2 for 1 mains on Mon and Tue

Scopa (141 Cuba St): $10 weekday lunch special

Heaven (247 Cuba St): $8 pizza Wednesday student nights

For more amazing discount deals, sign up for daily coupons at GrabOne:

http://www.grabone.co.nz/wellington

5. MOVE

Use your muscles to increase your body temperature and get your blood pumping.

Exercise has been proven to cheer people up and get rid of

winter blues so no reason not to try it!

→ Pencarrow Lighthouse: rent a bike at Days Bay

Boatshed and explore the stunning, rugged coastline

leading up to the historical Pencarrow Lighthouse. Once

you finish this 18 km return trip, you’ll really appreciate

the many lovely cafes on offer in Days Bay and Eastbourne!

Price: $35 for half-day bike rental. Location: Marine Parade, Days Bay, Lower Hutt.

Take the ferry or bus #81 or #83 to Eastbourne.

→ Botanic Gardens Walks: The Botanic Gardens hold some

winter and Matariki themed walks this time of year. Walk

the Downhill Path and see special New Zealand plants - and

discover why they are treasured. Just follow the painted

flowers on the path from the Cable Car lookout and when

you reach the main gate, take the uphill scenic route to the

Herb Garden. The trail ends at the Rongoa Māori section.

Or see the sculptures and sundials in the Botanic Garden

on a moderate 90-minute winter solstice walk.

Cost: $4. Location: Meet in the Begonia House foyer When: Mon 25 June 11am

→ Adrenalin Forest: Get your blood pumping at Adrenalin Forest’s multi-level

aerial obstacle course; a series of rope bridges, Tarzan swings and flying foxes

from platforms constructed in the tree canopy. This is a great confidence builder

and adrenalin rush: how far are you prepared to go? What are your limits? When

was the last time you felt truly challenged?

Tickets: $38 Location: Okowai Road, Porirua. Info: http://www.adrenalin-

forest.co.nz/

→ Horse riding in the Ohariu Valley: Escape the city and enjoy memorable

horseback adventures in Ohariu Valley, a rural area of rolling hill farms and horse-

riding stables 17 kilometres NW of Wellington (close to Johnsonville). Beginners

are welcome! Horse treks operate weekends, all year round, and vary in duration

from 1 to 3.5 hours.

Price: from $45. Location: Country Club Riding Academy, 517 Ohariu Valley Road,

Johnsonville. Phone bookings essential: 04 478 8472. Info:

http://www.horsetrekking.co.nz/

6. WATCH Nothing beats watching a good film on

a cold, rainy winter’s day. Luckily

Wellington is blessed with a wide

variety of movie theatres, many

located in cosy settings away from the

city centre. So skip the blockbusters at

Reading Cinema and The Embassy,

and instead go see a film in one of these neighbourhood gems:

The Paramount (Courtenay Place): http://www.paramount.co.nz/

Penthouse Cinema (Brooklyn): http://www.penthousecinema.co.nz

Roxy Cinema (Miramar): http://www.roxycinema.co.nz/

Empire Cinema (Island Bay): http://www.empirecinema.co.nz/

Lighthouse Cinema (Petone): http://www.lighthousepetone.co.nz/

Lighthouse Cinema (Pauatahanui): http://www.lighthousepauatahanui.co.nz/

And don’t forget live entertainment! Wellington has some of the best little

theatres around, most with amazing student discounts.

Bats Theatre: http://www.bats.co.nz/

Circa Theatre: http://www.circa.co.nz/

Downstage Theatre: http://www.downstage.co.nz/

St James & Opera House: http://www.stjames.co.nz/

Stagecraft: http://www.stagecraft.co.nz

7. INDULGE

When the winter chill gets too much for you it might be time to treat yourself to a

special delight, such as afternoon High Tea, delicious hot chocolate or other

sugary desserts:

→ Get the girls together and enjoy an

afternoon of sweet treats and fine tea

at one the many fancy High Teas on

offer. Our favourites are:

Martha's Pantry (276 Cuba St), Finc (122

Wakefield St), Hippopotamus at the

Museum Hotel (90 Cable St) and Mojo

Kumutoto (33 Customhouse Quay).

→ Indulge in rich dessert fondues at Beach Babylon (232 Oriental Parade)- the

combination of warm chocolate and fresh fruit won’t disappoint.

→ The chilli hot chocolates from Ciocco (11 Tory St or 149 Willis St) or traditional

Italian ones from Scopa (141 Cuba St) will surely raise your sugar levels and mood

.

→ The Southern Cross Bar and Restaurant has a beautiful outdoor area. Warm up

with a Lemon Honey Ginger drink, and the staff are even kind enough to lend you

a blanket and hot water bottle!

8. LEARN

Yes, you’re on a break from study but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up some

non-academic knowledge during your holidays, right? Our capital is blessed with

more than its fair share of galleries and museums and to top it off, most of them

are free!

Wellington City:

Te Papa: http://www.tepapa.govt.nz

City Gallery: http://citygallery.org.nz/

Parliament Buildings: http://www.parliament.nz

Museum of Wellington: http://www.museumofwellington.co.nz/

Cable Car Museum: http://www.cablecarmuseum.co.nz/

Colonial Cottage Museum: http://www.colonialcottagemuseum.co.nz/

Old St Paul’s: http://www.historicplaces.org.nz/placesToVisit/lowerNorthIsland/oldStPauls.aspx

Archives New Zealand: http://archives.govt.nz/

New Zealand Portrait Gallery: http://www.portraitgallery.nzl.org/

Katherine Mansfield Birthplace: http://www.katherinemansfield.com/

Lower Hutt and Porirua:

Dowse Art Museum (Lower Hutt): http://www.newdowse.org.nz/

Petone Settlers Museum: http://www.newdowse.org.nz/psm/

PATAKA (Porirua): http://www.pataka.org.nz/

9. PLAN

The months of July and August have many exciting

events in store for Wellington. To avoid missing

out on your favourites, it’s recommend to check

the festival and event programmes ahead of time to

find out how to buy tickets.

NZ International Film Festival, 27 July – 12 August: http://www.nzff.co.nz/wellington

Make an effort to support the NZ film industry by checking out New Zealand's

Best: 6 short films by Kiwis.

Wellington on a Plate Festival, 10-26 August: http://www.wellingtononaplate.com/

NZ Chocolate Festival, 24 - 26 August: http://www.chocolatefestival.co.nz/

Investec Rugby Championship - All Blacks vs Argentina, 8 Sept: http://wotzon.com/eventlisting.php?event_id=5016753

10. NEST

If you’re on a tight budget or you simply feel

like staying at home, then there are still plenty

of activities you and your friends can entertain

yourselves with:

Board games – ask the BEd(TESOL) support team for suggestions. My personal favourite is ‘Risk’ – this game can last for DAYS!

Start a book club.

Organise sing a long film evenings – they’re hilarious and LOTS of fun!

Have cooking competitions to see who’s the best baker, soup maker, Kiwi Chef …

Invite your friends/ housemates to a themed dress-up party

DIY! Feel like going to the movies? Invite some friends around for a DVD and popcorn. Feel like going to a café? Fill a thermos, pack a picnic and utilise all the benches and parks! Feel like going out for dinner? Organize a pot luck dinner with friends

ENJOY YOUR MID-YEAR BREAK!

A few of my winter time favourite things: Fern

- Lemon Honey Ginger drinks

- Merino long sleeved shirts from Glassons

- The couches at Meow Café

- Thermos’s and keep cups

- Hot water bottles

- My mink blanket from Farmers

- Pure wool socks knitted by my sister

- Oil heaters