The Capital of Coffee

Wellington has a bit of a reputation as the coffee capital of New Zealand and there are, I’m told, more cafes per head of population here than there are in the whole of New York.

Sincere apologies now in case anyone thinks this is shallow thinking, but the cafe revolution to me has been one of the greatest developments of the last decade or two.

OK I exaggerate a little. But every time I go to a cafe it feels decadent. A real treat. Completely heavenly. It’s one of my favourite indulgences. So perfect for relaxing, people watching, reading newspapers, enjoying good conversation (and drinking coffee of course!)

This weekend we unintentionally set out on a bit of a cafe tour of the city. We began on Saturday afternoon with a drive around the supremely pretty Miramar Peninsula (where film director Peter Jackson has his studios and production facilities), and ended up at the gorgeous Chocolate Fish Cafe in Shelly Bay. Many friends and acquaintances with children have raved about this place, but it was our first time – and it won’t be our last!

After an entire afternoon sitting in the Autumn sun with hot chocolates while the kids played on bikes and a huge replica model of the Inter-islander ferry, we finally moved on into the city to pick up a few shopping items and then realised time was cracking on and we hadn’t sorted anything out for the kids’ dinner.

So, our next stop was Midnight Espresso, a quirky and very funky little place with a pinball machine and a Pacman table. Choice! Described by the Lonely Planet as “the quintessential Wellington cafe experience”, it was a very relaxed and easy way of taking two young children out into the grown up world. Excitement built as they realised they were the only children there and that the name of the cafe implied it must be midnight (it was 6.45pm but we didn’t tell them that). They behaved impeccably, Molly ate a couple of whole chillies, Alfie stuck to bread, and we all soaked up the very cool atmosphere.  

Next morning we headed back into the city to pick up a pair of shoes we’d put on layby for Molly, and somehow ended up at yet another cafe! Cafe Astoria is a bit of an institution in Wellington, and as I placed my order at the counter another customer, who was just leaving, popped up to thank the barista for the best coffee he’d ever had.

So we started off with a good feeling about this place. And yes, I can confirm that Astoria (who, incidentally, roast their own blend of coffee) produce some of the best coffee I have ever tasted.

Meanwhile, Alfie has embraced the heart and soul of our nation and joined the local rugby club. At his first session he picked up the rules of “Touch” within seconds and is already completely hooked. Some of the other members of the team weren’t quite so quick, but he managed to keep his manners and if the ball wasn’t passed to him after a “touch”, he just smiled politely and carried on running around. We were very proud parents.