TripAdvisor has rated Wellington, New Zealand in the top 25 travel destinations in the South Pacific.  The Travellers Choice for the Best Destinations in 2011 was topped by Sydney, Australia while Queenstown was rated in second spot. The list of 25 top holiday destinations included other New Zealand cities including Auckland, Christchurch, Milford Sound, and Rotorua.

Sitting at number 15 in TripAdvisor Travellers Choice for the Best Destinations in 2011, Wellington is making its mark as one of the best holiday destinations in the South Pacific… Here’s why:

• Compact downtown area is easy to explore on foot, or by bus.
• Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum is a truly splendid experience for both young and old to learn about the indigenous Maori and NZ culture.
• Enjoy locally roasted coffee at one of Wellington’s top rated cafe’s down Cube Mall, Courtney Place or Lambton Quay.
• Shop ’til you drop on the Golden Mile (Courtney Place, Manner Street and Lambton Quay) where you’ll find high fashion brands, boutique clothing stores and shopping malls.
• The Town Belt including the scenic Mount Victoria offer visitors peace and serenity while adoring the best view of Wellington’s cityscape at close proximity.

For a range of accommodation options around Wellington, New Zealand take a look at Wellington Hotel & Motels, B&B’s, Holiday Homes, and Apartments.

Read the full article and see all 25 top holiday destinations on TripAdvisor.

Kilbirnie is an energetic little town with a variety of dining options to tickle the taste buds. If you’re staying in one of Kilbirnie’s great accommodations make sure you consider the following takeaways, restaurants, bars and fast food outlets for quality dining on a budget.

Pak’n'Save supermarket

Pak’n'Save has hot ready meals, sandwiches, an inviting deli as well as all other groceries you’d expect from a well stocked supermarket. Pak’n'Save is a smart choice for the budget conscious traveller because of the wide variety of low priced items and quality produce. Pak’n'Save is located on Rongotai Road, Kilbirnie.

Fish ‘n Chips

You can’t beat fresh fish from the southern ocean! Fish ‘n chips is a favourite New Zealand takeaway meal and Kilbirnie has some of the best fish n chip shops in Wellington making fresh fish n chips every day of the week.  Kilbirnie Seafoods (Coutts Street) and Lyall Bay Takeaways (Lyall Bay Parade) are hard to beat.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)

KFC Kilbirnie is one of only two KFC’s in Wellington City. Newly renovated a few years ago this KFC includes a drive-through and a modern, spacious dining area. KFC Kilbirnie is located on Rongotai Road, Kilbirnie.

Ethnic Foods

If you love nothing more than a spicy curry, mee goreng, fried rice, sweet n sour pork, tika masala, or papadum then Kilbirnie has a dining option to suit you! From tasty Indian food to all the favourites of a Chinese or Thai kitchen all these options are within walking distance in the Kilbirnie Shopping Centre.

Bakeries

You can’t beat the smell of freshly baked bread and bakery delights.  In the Kilbirnie Shopping Centre you’ll find cafe’s, bakeries, a German bread shop baking fresh bread and an assortment of sandwiches, pies, sausage rolls, savouries and more.

You may also like to consider these dining options within 2km of Kilbirnie in the suburbs of Lyall Bay, Miramar and Newtown.

McDonalds Newtown, Alasia Seafoods Miramar, Dominoes Pizza, Hells Pizza, Burger Wisconsin, Kebabs.

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The following accommodations are walking distance to Kilbirnie dining options; Rongotai Apartments, 747 Motel and Brentwood Hotel.

Luxury B&B located in the heart of Wellington’s restaurant & cafe district. A few minutes walk to Te Papa. 15 Mins from the airport / ferry by taxi.

Mount Victoria Luxury Bed and Breakfast location:
11 Lipman Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

The Kilbirnie Festival is eagerly awaited each year as a highlight of summer. In 2011 the Festival will be held on Sunday 13 March, in Bay Road and surrounding carparks, between 10am – 4pm.

This is the 16th consecutive fair day, for the eastern suburbs’ biggest event and one of Wellington’s biggest festivals. Kilbirnie Festival presents 200 craft & food stalls, kids’ rides, kids activities and entertainment for under-5s in the Kilbirnie Plaza mall, music on three stages including top Wellington venue San Francisco Bathhouse’s Acoustic Lounge Stage, Wellington’s own School of Rock Stage, and our Community Stage for locals, which between them offer a broad range of music, entertainment and performances.

A feature this year is the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars!” competition for primary school kids. This raises funds for local primary schools, while providing great entertainment.

There will be two bus trips for the elderly in the week prior, contact the Community Centre for details and tickets.

See www.kilbirniefestival.org.nz for more information.

Kilbirnie Pools – Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre

Facilities

• 50-metre heated indoor pool, including diving pool
• Programmes pool
• Hydrotherapy pool
• Toddler’s pool and Spray water-play area
• Club Active fitness centre and aerobics studio
• Three private spa pools
• Single-sex private saunas
• Swim shop, Crèche, Café, Meeting rooms

Activities & Services

• Aquatic Club
• Birthday parties
• Club Active fitness classes including aquajogging, tai chi and yoga
• Lane swimming
• Massage therapy services
• Pregnancy Aqua classes
• School holiday activities
• Schools aquatic education programmes
• Springboard diving classes
• Swim School

Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre is at 63 Kilbirnie Crescent, Kilbirnie.

Kilbirnie Sports Centre – Indoor Community Sports Centre (ICSC)

Due for completion in August 2011, the ICSC is a welcome addition to the range of indoor sporting facilities available in Wellington. Located at Cobham Park, the Sports Centre will offer state-of-the-art facilities in a world-class indoor sporting venue for local and domestic tournaments.

Wellington International Airport

Wellington Airport provides services all over New Zealand and overseas to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Fiji.  The airport has a single 1936 metre runway, handles over 5 million passengers and 110,000 aircraft movements per year.

The terminal closes every night for 2 1/2 hours from 1.30am – 4am.

More information about Wellington International Airport

Travel & Transport

• Wellington International Airport
• GO Wellington Bus Depot

Sport & Recreation

• Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre
• Kilbirnie Recreation Centre
• The new Kilbirnie Stadium – Wellington Indoor Community Sports Centre (ICSC)
• Miramar Golf Course
• Lyall Bay Beach
• Maranui Surf Life Saving Club
• Evans Bay Marina
• Kilbirnie Park

Schools

• Rongotai College
• St Patrick’s College
• St Catherine’s College
• Evans Bay Intermediate School
• Kilbirnie School
• St Patrick Primary School
• Lyall Bay Primary School

Top Wellington Attractions

• Te Papa – National Museum
• Westpac Stadium
• Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
• Wellington Waterfront
• Courtney Place Nightlife
• The Golden Mile – Courtney Place, Manners Street, Willis Street, Lambton Quay
• Cuba Mall

Great news in today, FIFA has announced that New Zealand will host the 2015 Youth World Cup! This is a massive tournament where 24 countries participate across 52 games to be hosted over the North and South Island, it will be the first time New Zealand is hosting the event.

Here in Wellington, we’re delighted to hear the news and look forward to hearing more about the tournament, countries involved and locations for the games.  With the world-class sporting facilities available as part of the Rugby World Cup 2011 it looks like New Zealand is on the road to becoming an attractive option for hosting major sporting events.

Watch this space for Wellington accommodation deals close to Westpac Stadium, Kilbirnie Stadium and other sporting facilities for the 2015 Youth World Cup in New Zealand.

When complete later this year, the new stadium in Kilbirnie – The Indoor Community Sports Centre (ICSC) on Kemp Street, Kilbirnie will boast 10,500 square metres of indoor sports centre courts suitable for a variety of indoor sports including netball, basketball, volleyball. The sports centre is a welcome addition to the sporting facilities available to Wellington schools and sports teams while the top quality facilities will be ideal for regional and national indoor sports tournaments. It’s exciting to know the new stadium will provide a training venue for the Rugby World Cup 2011 teams during the tournament.

Find accommodation close to the new stadium in Kilbirnie – The Indoor Community Sports Centre (ICSC)

Central City Apartment Hotel is in the very heart of Wellington. This is the ideal location for business and leisure, an unbeatable address. Step outside our door and you are minutes away from Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place. We have 54 modern-style, apartments, many with harbour views, family rooms, carparking options, and business services- all the comforts you expect from a modern city apartment hotel.

Central City Apartment Hotel is located at:
130 Victoria Street, Wellington Central City, New Zealand

Phone: 04 385 4166

The Abel Tasman is the best choice for those who want to combine business with leisure in a relaxed way. It’s perfectly positioned between the Terrace, Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place, in the heart of Wellington’s business and entertainment districts.

Accommodation Overview

We have 73 spacious and recently refurbished guest rooms ranging from Standard to Superior rooms. We also have four conference rooms which have natural light, and can cater for up to 150 people.

Our on-site Bistro 169 Restaurant and Bar is open for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, for in house guests and casual diners.

Accommodation Facilities

Room Facilities

Hotel Facilities

• Non smoking rooms
• 24 hour reception
• Undercover parking (subject to availability)
• Same day laundry and dry cleaning
• Guest laundry on-site
• Secretarial, photocopying and facsimile services
• Conference, Function and Events Facilities
• On Site Dining In Bistro 169
• Complimentary off site gym access

Contact Information

Abel Tasman Hotel

Location: 169 Willis Street, Wellington Central City, New Zealand
Phone:  +64 4 385 1304
Web: www.abeltasmanhotel.co.nz | Twitter | Facebook

Nomads Capital backpackers in Wellington is a Qualmark 5-star rated hostel, so you know that you will be staying in top quality budget accommodation. It is ideally located in Wellington’s central bohemian quarter,with loads of communal areas to meet other backpackers, making Nomads Capital Wellington the best value place to stay on your arrival in Wellington.

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Nomads Capital Backpacker Hostel is located at:
118-120 Wakefield Street, Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand