http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/37103 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/37103 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31323 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31323 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31322 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31322 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31321 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31321 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29854 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29854 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28052 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28052 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26904
Lovely staff, great cafe, and an amazing collection. It even stocks zines!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26904 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24318 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24318 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18758 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18758 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15417
While you're there, you can carry on to the next bay, Eastbourne, where you can walk to the lighthouse and watch the ferries on their way to and from the South Island.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15417 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15405
Most visitors opt for the look-out point that is Mount Victoria but the locals will tell you that Mt Kaukau is the summit you really should visit, and how true I have found that to be!

Kaukau is on the western side of Wellington harbour near the pretty districts of Johnsonville and Khandallah. The summit is 445 metres above sea level and is the most visible point in the Wellington area.

It provides stunning views of the city, harbour and the Rimutaka and Tararua Ranges.

Every time I go back to Wellington I make a point of walking up Kaukau. I have also at different times run up it and biked down it - it's fantastic for mountain bikers!

The view is inspiring; the green rolling hills of Crofton Down, looking down into Wellington city and harbour, or looking across the Cook Strait to the snow-capped Mt. Tapuaeoenuku on the Inward Kaikoura Ranges in the South Island, Mt Kaukau demands solitude and silence to fully appreciate its glory.

On a sunny day the view is endless and majestic. When the storms roll into Wellington from across the Tasman Sea, the power of the wind and rain makes Mt Kaukau not for the fainthearted. Yet if anything, it adds to the mystique and grandeur of the place.

Go there and you won’t be disappointed; I never am whenever I go back.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15405 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15330
Within the city itself is Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. There are plenty of walks, and it's a great opportunity to see some of the rarer birds (and other wildlife) of New Zealand in a natural setting (there are no cages. The birds come and go as they please).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15330 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15329 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15329 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15328 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15328 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/14869
On the Wellington Walking Gourmet tour, we sampled minced lamb kaftas and had a behind-the-scenes look at the kitchens in Meat on Tory, and took a choc taste test at Schoc Chocolate Therapy (the Earl Grey with dark choc was a pleasant surprise).

We tasted freshly-roasted flat white coffees at Mojo Coffee Cartel - coffee is big business in Wellington - enjoyed the variety of produce at Moore Wilson Fresh's food hall, and rounded the four-hour tour off with an excellent lunch at one of Wellington's best eateries, Logan-Brown.

Excellent value at $210 (just £70) per head.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/14869