Living in Wellington – the first 3 months
The process of moving to Wellington started well before our plane flight on January 1, 2025. Once the decision was made to move to Wellington, we researched areas to live, available apartments, visa options and timing, what to bring over with us and tons of other little things! Click here to view a bit more information on our process of moving to Wellington.
We arrived in Wellington on January 3rd. If you look at the picture closely you can see that we were greeted by a rainbow as our plane landed – we took that to be a really good sign!
Our first order of business when we arrived was to stock up the kitchen. We went to Moore Wilson’s, New World and Commonsense to compare prices and we soon had a fully stocked refrigerator!
We also used FB Marketplace to get a Ninja blender, an airfryer, and some glass storage containers. The Marketplace pickups gave us great experience in learning the bus system and getting us out into various neighborhoods.
I was using Google Maps to get to the pickup place, but the map was upside down (I’ve got it straightened out now!). We ended up climbing halfway up the hill in the photo below before we realized we should have gone down the same hill as the dog!
We also made it a point to visit the Harbourside Market, which has become a Sunday tradition for us. There are always so many amazing vendors selling produce, food, coffee, and flowers and live performers and friends gathering all along the waterfront! You can read more about my Harbourside Market visits here!
Going to the waterfront isn’t just limited to the Sunday market. There is a wonderful paved trail all along the waterfront and past the beach at Oriental Parade for walkers and bike riders. Although I haven’t done it yet, I’m hoping to bike along the trail.
I also enjoy just sitting on the waterfront reading a book, people watching and admiring the scenery. I love watching people dive into the water (brrrr!) and the variety of boats in the water.
One day when I walked down to the waterfront they were doing trials for the dragon boat races. It was so fun to sit and watch the boats race by.
On several of my outings I would see the “Wellington Tree” (the saxophone musician, Jarrod “Woody” Timalsina). He is a wonderful musician and whenever I hear a saxophone I look around to see if he is nearby!
Coffee, pastries, and gelato are popular venues in Wellington and I have tried out a number of them! You can see more about my bakery visits here!
Duck Island Ice Cream with Nancy and Raglan Roast Coffee with Janice!
I rode on the iconic Wellington Cable Car after a lovely brunch at the Cable Top Restaurant. They have jazz and pizza at the restaurant every Wednesday night, so I will definitely get back up there soon!
There is always something fun going on in Wellington! When I first arrived Gardens Magic was underway with live music followed by a light show in the Botanical Gardens every night for nearly 3 weeks in January. Click here to see the 2025 Gardens Magic Schedule.
The Lunar New Year Festival ran from January 29 to February 16. There were events all around Wellington. We even had dragon dancers at the restaurant just below our apartment
On February 6th, I attended Te Rā O Waitangi. An event to commemorate the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) and Aotearoa’s national day.
Tuesday evenings is free movie night at the Te Awe Library. I went one time to watch a short documentary called “Rock-Paper-Scissors: A tale of creation and destruction”. The screen was smaller than the TV in our apartment so I opted to watch future movies at home.
The Fringe Festival was from February 14 to March 8. There was entertainment all throughout the City. I listened to several street performances and attended a play.
March 8th kicked off Wellington Pride Week with an amazing Pride Parade. The staging area was right out side our apartment so we had a front row view!
Wellington’s acceptance of all people is one of the many reasons I love this city!
While I wish I could stay in Wellington permanently, my Visa only allows me to stay for 6 out of 12 months. Since I have a multi-entry Visa I am spending some time exploring Australia as well as New Zealand. Search my posts for Melbourne and Sydney if you want to read about my visits to these cities.
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