Wellington Apartment Hunting

Day Two (Saturday) I got up way too early and went for a L O N G walk while enjoying a coffee.  Eventually I returned to the hotel and found my better half awake and wondering where I'd been. We struck out pretty early for the day shortly thereafter.  On the agenda was walking past the 10 or so apartments and houses we had located and deemed potential places to hang our hats long term.  That part of the day was successful having ruled out half of them while feeling good about the rest.   We even added a few new places to consider based on location and a bit more knowledge. As a bonus we also found a place that sells fruit pies!

The prices for lodging in Wellington are about the same as Sydney, maybe 10% cheaper, but not much.  Rents are calculated per week and the places we are considering range in price from $650 to $1,150 PER WEEK.  So, not cheap, and for that you are mostly getting a great location.  Wellington is very compact so most locations are actually OK, though some are simply stellar.  Points of calculation for us are simple:

1. Is the building earthquake ready?  There are nearly 25,000 earthquakes in Wellington each year.  Of those, about 10% are noticeable.  It's inevitable that a major quake will rock this area at some point and finding a safe place to live is infinitely better than finding a cheap place to die.
2. Tsunami is another (albeit smaller) consideration.  A big quake will bring a big wave and you don't really want to be in the path of such a nightmare.  As opposed to quakes, tsunamis give you a few minutes to get up a hill and Welly is not short on high ground.  It's just something to think about.
3. Sunshine is a major consideration.  Imagine Wellington sits in a great big bowl on the southern tip of the North Island.  The Cook Strait runs between North and South Islands and is a natural funnel for wind and weather.  That means Welly is windy and wet.  All sunshine is relished here and having a place facing all day sun (when it peaks through) makes you warmer, happier and less mouldy.  It's a bigger consideration than a tsunami and is one of our driving criteria.
4. Views are something worth considering.  There is water all around and having a nice view of any of the bays, straits or the Tasman Sea is a good thing.  Whale and dolphin watching from the comfort of your home is, well, preferable.  There are also compelling views of the mountains and city that make for a good existence too.
5. Rain is a constant here although there are some areas that are wetter than others.  

As Americans we are spoilt by grand kitchens and large lots/yards.  As four year veterans of Australia we have adjusted our thinking when it comes to what we can expect.  Said another way, places (especially the kitchen) are much more modest here.  There are certainly many homes here that are simply amazing but apartments are usually in 100 year-old buildings or tall, newer towers.  Obviously, if you want to be in the city area you are going to end up in a tower more than likely.  Welly has at least a chance of a townhome on the fringe of the city which might be nice.

Julie at Fork & Brewer

In between all the apartment scouting we did manage to stop for lunch at a local favourite.  The "Fork and Brewer" is a brewery and eatery smack in the middle of the Welly Central Business District (CBD).  They brew (guessing) 40 different beers and have them all on draft cleverly displayed.  The place is fun and slightly funny with all the weird beer names each of which has a poster displayed. To drink we each ordered a Fork Brewing Zeus Juice Mythological - an IPA with plenty of hops.  It was certainly above average.  On the food side of things we stepped away from fancy stuff like we ate yesterday and had some good pub food.  I had Blue Warehou Fillets in Base Jumper APA Batter served with Hop Salt and Cajun Garlic Fries with a Fresh Green Salad (a/k/a Fish and Chips), and Julie had, Fresh Ceviche on a Warm Flour Tortillas with Slaw, Red Peppers, Capers and Dill & Jalapeño Sour Cream.  As we have found to be the case here, they were mostly both amazing, especially for pub food.  I can honestly say the Cajun Chips (Fries) were the best fries I've ever had.  My salad was fresh and fab.  The fish was sometimes good and sometimes great.  Each bite was slightly different so I am mixed on that.  Julie didn't stop eating long enough to comment on her choice but that should prove an adequate endorsement in and of itself.

Fork and Brewer Patio

After eating we did our first grocery run in Welly.  Expensive but no worse than Sydney.  The quality is an upgrade from Sydney standard grocers (Coles, Woolworth) and the food selection was also better, particularly meats and cheeses and wines.  

That was our day unless you want to know about our doing a load of laundry?

Ceviche Taco

Fish and Chips