The Suitcase Backpacker

Reuniting with my sister and exploring the colourful capital city

. . .

Aotearoa New Zealand

4 min read

During the first week of March I spent some time with my sister in Wellington, the capital city of NZ. It was going to be Amelia’s birthday and she had come to visit, as well as celebrate her birthday abroad in a new place; she had caught the highly contagious wanderlust bug. I booked time off work and was so looking forward to a break, escaping the claustrophobic hustle of Auckland Central, and getting the chance to see my sister. I guess it wouldn’t have been a true reuniting without an argument, or several, here and there. Such a healthy sisterly bond we have.

It was a beautiful sunny day when I departed Auckland, with a short 1 hour relaxed flight, and a clear sapphire sky for miles. Around 20 minutes after take-off, as I gazed out of the window, I noticed a long white cloud draped along the landscape like a silk curtain. The whirring of the plane became a distant hum and I gazed in awe…a beautiful moment suspended in the silence of the sky. Now I could literally see why New Zealand had been named ‘Aotearoa’ by the first Māori settlers, this means ‘land of the long white cloud’.

We packed a lot into a short amount of time and the next couple of days with my sister was spontaneous and eventful. Being around a familiar face helped with some of the homesickness I had also been feeling. I made sure to introduce Amelia to my favourite mochi treats; safe to say I successfully got her addicted! On a sunny afternoon we took the colourful cable car uphill to the beautiful botanical gardens. I love a serene botanical garden and if a city has one you’ll most likely find me there. Later in the evening I met up with my UK friend, Stacey, who was living and working in the Wellington CBD. We caught up over dinner, with fortune cookies and cocktails at a delicious (and insanely spicy!) Southeast Asian restaurant.

Wellington is also by far the windiest city in NZ, and I nicknamed it ‘windy Welli’ on my socials. Due to the city’s location beside the Cook Strait, the wind is funnelled between the gap of the North and South Island, so you have this big blustery wind tunnel. We hiked up Mount Victoria for lovely views of the city and wandered along the harbour front and into the City Gallery for a glittering array of iconic contemporary art.

On my sister’s birthday we went to the famous Weta workshop, where props and special effects are created for film and television. Weta has worked on props for Mulan, Black Panther, Pacific Rim, and Lord of the Rings just to name a few. It was very cool and jaw dropping at times; the intricate processes and dexterity that goes into making the props was amazing to see. At the end of the tour we had some fun with the green screen and dressing up in sci-fi gear, or Gandalf style wizard attire; the sword and cape look really brought out my heroic side I have to say. 

For dinner we ate at a delicious Italian restaurant. Coming from an Italian family, I usually avoid Italian restaurants unless I know they’re owned by Italians, or other Mediterranean people, otherwise I find the food can be bland and disappointing. This place did not disappoint! The bruschetta starter we shared was buonissimo, and the main cannelloni I ordered had been filled with spinach and ricotta, draped in a rich salsa; this all washed down nicely with my glass of sweet rosé. I could have absolutely devoured another plate load if I’d had the space. Later on we went back to the Airbnb for red velvet birthday cake dessert and chocolate treats.

I love visiting museums and the Museum of NZ Te Papa Tongarewa was absolutely incredible, especially the Gallipoli exhibit, and the prehistoric creatures collection; I cannot believe the colossal animals that existed and once roamed here, it’s just incredible. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant afterwards for lunch, and I devoured a tasty vegetable tofu dish accompanied with sweet coconut rice. During the last night of the trip we finished the leftover food in the fridge, watched a film, and enjoyed the last of the red velvet cake. My sister left early the next morning with her suitcase in tow (filled with Whittaker’s bars of chocolate, and of course, more mochi!) ready for the long haul journey back to the UK. I made my way back to Auckland for a chilled weekend catching up with my friends before going back to work on Tuesday.