New Zealand Roadtrip: Downtown Wellington – Lunch – Cuba Street, Cuba Quarter

Wellington
North Island, New Zealand
Travel Period: May 2018

Cuba Street in downtown Wellington.

Welcome lunch in Wellington.

We finally arrived in the capital of New Zealand! And the first thing we did after finding parking in the city center was to look for a place to have our lunch. What better way to find eating establishments by checking out the main street of the city. We did some quick googling and found Cuba Street in Cuba Quarter to be the best place.

Armed with my sister’s smartphone and Google maps, we followed the directions to Cuba Street.

Firstly, a few pictures of when we arrived in Wellington. The weather was cloudy and a bit grey, but at least it wasn’t raining.

This beehive-like building is the first imposing building that greeted us. It is the executive wing of New Zealand’s parliament and the name of the building is “Beehive”. Seriously.

The Wellington Cenotaph, a war monument on the intersections of Bowen Street, Lambton Quay, and Whitmore Street.

Driving here now on Whitmore Street and then going right as we look for parking. Parking with a campervan is not an easy feat in any city center.

Hallelujah, we found this small open-air parking area on Jervois Quay, and luckily a car just left leaving us with enough space to park our campervan. What great timing!

As we arrived on a weekend, the parking was free of charge.

Off we went looking for Cuba Street…

And we found the lower part of Cuba Street. We were quite hungry and cannot wait to pick a restaurant, but first, we need to survey the street for options. We rush slowly =)

Some interesting artwork on the streets.

We learned that Cuba Street is part of the Te Aro (name of the area in Maori) Heritage Trail.

I initially thought that the street was named after Cuba the country because the area has a Bohemian artsy and Latin feel, however, after further reading, I learned that it was named after a ship owned by a British firm, the New Zealand Company who established first settlements in the country. The “Cuba” sailed from Liverpool, England to New Zealand and did subsequent sailings back to England, then back to Australia and then to New Zealand.

The main attraction of Cuba Street is none other than the colourful Bucket Fountain. For some reason, the fountain reminds me of children’s toys, Lego or Play-Doh.

There were many bars and restaurants on the street and it was quite difficult to choose.

Finally, we decided on this restaurant called Plum. They have a table available and it was not that noisy inside. Perfect for us to eat and regroup. We will have to plan what to do for the rest of the day and where we will stay for the evening.

After ordering our food and drinks, we quickly surveyed the map we got from the tourist office near where we parked. We highlighted the places we want to visit and a walking trail we want to follow later. We also noted the parking areas and checked online which parking areas allow overnight parking for campervans.

As we were finalizing our plans for the rest of the day, our most awaited lunch arrived.

My sister ordered a very crispy and delicious pork belly on a bed of grains. It smelled so good as well. When I saw this, I somewhat regretted ordering something else.

This was Myrrh’s lunch. I am not sure if this is a pork chop of seared (big) tuna.

And this is mine. Some traditional fish and chips! I was craving for seafood and some crunch. I cannot say this was the best, but it was good enough to satisfy the craving.

I must say that this ginger beer is good!

After lunch, we strolled up and down Cuba Street and wandered further into the deeper streets and alleys of Cuba Quarter. There were quite a number of impressive graffiti art on the walls in the northern part of the area.

Then we bumped into this public parking for motorhomes (campervans)!

The sister quickly rushed back to our Jucy campervan while Myrrh and I guarded the parking spot. There were only a few wide enough parking spaces available and we were worried that a large motorhome would show up before the sister arrives. Well, we managed to get the parking spot for the evening.

We are sleeping in the campervan in this parking lot for our stay in Wellington. To say the least, it is nothing exciting, but I have grown to like my bed in this van, quite comfy actually.