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I went to New Zealand for a long weekend. With our neighbouring island only a short three-hour hop away from Sydney or Melbourne, there's no reason to save up three weeks of leave for a Kiwi holiday. I visited the trendy city of Wellington this trip. Next time I have a free few days, I'll probably give Queenstown a whirl.

The flight time is almost not long enough with Air New Zealand's posh new entertainment facilities. Unlike other antiquated systems, this one is activated from the moment you plop down on your seat. Since I'm usually one of the first on board (I hate queues), I got a head start on all the latest blockbusters.

Millionaire view for all
My first view of Wellington was through the window of the cab. My charming driver was bubbling over with excitement at my first-timer status. In the 15-minute drive to the hotel, he took me through a brief history of the city and pointed out the homes built on hills so almost everyone here gets a view of the magnificent bay.

I had heard that Wellington is similar to Melbourne in its quirky culture and buzzy cafe lifestyle. The city also has a reputation for top-class food. With more eateries per capita than New York, picking out the best ones seemed an overwhelming (yet very delicious) task. So I turned to the experts.

A tour of edible Wellington
Foody friends Catherine Cordwell and Susan McLeary started Zest Food Tours about five years ago for people just like me. If you don't know anyone in a new city then your chances of uncovering the gourmet hot-spots are slim. So with Catherine leading our small group, we munched our way through the local secrets of Wellington.

The best brew
For superior coffee (quite possibly in the whole of New Zealand), you can't go wrong with Mojo's. Watching Greek-born Lambros Gianoutsos (his son Steve owns the cafes) roast the beans, I reckon it's his passion that makes the coffee taste so good.

The house blend - "Dr Mojo's Medicine" - is a combo of beans from seven different origins and makes a cuppa that is velvety smooth and satisfying. I bought home a bag for my coffee connoisseur brother-in-law. After a single brew he jumped onto their website to subscribe to their weekly bean delivery. There are now 14 cafe's throughout New Zealand, including an outlet at the Wellington airport so you can get your caffeine hit before you leave.

It's just schoc-king
I'm a chocolate fanatic so the highlight of our tour was the stop at Ciocco cafe to taste Schoc. Did you know that your choice of chocolate filling or the way you devour the treat exposes more about your personality than just a sweet tooth. Choc-ologist Murray Langham is the successful author of two books about unwrapping your relationships using chocolate (Chocolate Therapy: Dare to Discover Your Inner Centre and Hot Chocolate: Chocolate Therapy II, which are both available at the cafe). So it's no surprise that Langham and his partner Roger Simpson are also the masterminds behind the delectable Schoc.

There are over 55 different flavours of chocolate on offer with morsels of each in miniature drawers on the counter. I took a mystery piece on the tip of my tongue and touched it to the roof my mouth to allow the flavours to dissolve. Hmm, is that a tiny piece of lemon and perhaps a hint of pepper? My guess was very close. This taste turned out to be Schoc's most popular flavour - lime and chilli.

This is very much a grown up chocolate with no wussy artificial flavourings. Schoc only use fresh fruit particles and spices. My favourite was the milk chocolate with seasalt, which takes this confectionary to a whole new savoury level. If you're brave enough, ask for a morsel of Schoc Black - 100% pure chocolate. It's only for the very hard-core. Schoc also has an outlet at Greytown where you may be lucky enough to meet one of the owners.

Spoiled for choice
I considered moving to Wellington when we visited Moore Wilson Fresh. This wholesale market is the foodie's answer to Willy Wonka's factory. By supporting local producers, Moore Wilson's shelves offer the best of Wellington fare. The only problem is deciding what to pick. I was mesmerised by the bakery with its shelves brimming with fresh breads from the city's finest patisseries.

Then there's the vast selection of meat - including deer, goat and hare. The fish emporium is the baby brother to Sydney's market and the cheese room would make any fromage lover go wild. There's also a admirable selection of fruit and veggies, including the prized kiwiberry. This looks like a smooth-skinned green berry but pop the whole thing in your mouth and you'll be in taste-bud heaven with the intense kiwi-fruit sweetness. Such a pity I couldn't bring these back to Australia.. Please do me a favour and email me if you've encountered these in Australia.

Gourmet finale
We ended off the half day tour on a high note with a three-course lunch at one of the best restaurants in town - Logan Brown. This fine dining establishment housed in a stately 1920's banking chamber, has refined the art of five-star cuisine without the snob factor. The owners', Steve Logan and Al Brown, have their own TV show (Hunger for the Wild) where they rumble through the countryside on an outdoor gourmet mission. After tasting the divine chocolate mousse, I promptly made a reservation for dinner the following night. Life is too short to taste such decadence only once.

Left to my own devices, I wandered through the funky cuba district. This is a colourful pedestrian mall lined with grungy two-table cafes intermingled with funky designer fashion and jewelry shops. It's got the same cool vibe as Melbourne's Brunswick street and it's here you'll pick up some good bargains and even better nosh (I loved Floridita's for its home-style cooking and laid-back atmosphere).

For more high street shops, there's Lambton Quays with its upmarket department stores and takeaway outlets.

I ambled along the waterfront back to my hotel. It was bustling with locals walking home (apparently 17% of all Wellingtonians get to work by foot). This is such a compact city that it's easy to get around without a car. I noticed a couple of restaurants along my route but most of the action seems to be concentrated on the beach-end of Oriental Parade.

I love the nightlife
At night, Courtney Place comes alive. There are bars for every personality and enough restaurants to try a new one every night of the year. There's an infectious energy about the place so I was hardly fazed when told that a table at the highly-regarded Monsoon Poon would only be available in over an hour. It was a good opportunity to sample a cocktail at award-winning Matterhorn before returning for a delicious Asian-fusion feast.

I ended off my foodie trail at Kaffe Eis - the scrumptious king of confectionery - with its array of ultra-creamy Gelato flavours, such as panacotta, maple walnut, bon bon Rocher and fruity sorbets.

It's a good thing it was only my luggage that had to be weighed on my return flight. I'm sure my gourmet whirlwind probably left a couple of souvenir kilos on my hips. But it was worth every bite.

For great travel deals and more information on your Wellington visit www.WellingtonNZ.com

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WELLINGTON HOW TO GET THERE Air New Zealand operates over 140 flights per week across the Tasman. Our lowest online year round fares start from $317 including tax ex Sydney to Wellington. Air New Zealand has nine direct flights per week to Wellington ex Sydney Find out more details and book your holiday now. WHERE TO STAY Museum Hotel Wellington is so cool that even the hotels are cultured. The Museum Hotel has a lobby with all the pomp and style of an old-world London hotel. Yet the quirky sculptures and art-work add a refreshing charm to the establishment. It reminds us not to take ourselves (or the places in which we stay) too seriously. Located within easy walking distance of the vibey Courtney Place, The Museum Hotel is famous for being hoisted on railway tracks and moved from its location across the road (where the national museum Te Papa now lies). My room was in the modern apartment wing. The chic suite was almost bigger than my flat at home with a granite topped kitchen housing all the modern conveniences to whip up your own gourmet banquet. There was a flat screen TV in the lounge as well as in the king-sized bedroom. The bathroom was luxurious with large tub and rainshower. Definitely opt for one of these plush self-contained suites rather than the older and tired looking harbour-view rooms. More information Quality Hotel The Four Star Plus Quality Hotel Wellington opened in 2007 and boasts the largest hotel rooms in Wellington. With a fresh, contemporary style and ideal location in the heart of the vibrant Cuba Quarter; this is the place to relax in stylish surroundings and enjoy the best Wellington has to offer! More information. WHAT TO DO Te Papa Wellingtonians are justifiably proud of their national museum. Built 11 years ago, the museum was designed to be a fun and interactive showcase of New Zealand culture. When I told my guide, Alan, that I wasn't into dusty old relics, I could see the glee sparkle in his eyes. He took great pleasure in showing off the very atypical and un-museum like exhibitions. I hadn't realised that museums could be so cutting edge high-tech and entertaining. There was a gynormous squid on show and a house that shook like an earthquake (which is closer to home than Wellingtonians would like, with the region being bang on some major fault-lines). Every room holds new wonders and interactive treasures (Te Papa actually means 'place where we store our treasures'). There are also awesome children centres with computers, books and educational toys. I wanted to spend the whole day just playing. Until May, Te Papa will house the largest and richest collection of Impressionist paintings to land on New Zealand's shores - 27 stunning paintings by Claude Monet together with Impressionist masterpieces by Renoir, Degas, Cezanne and Pissarro. Zest Food Tour This is a must-do delicious sightseeing adventure. Choose from a range of scrumptious foodie tours - including a decadent chocolate espresso tour. I did the popular Walking Gourmet option which costs $230 per person. Visit Zest Food Tours for more info. Wellington Cable car I was walking along the pavement in Lambton Quay when I came across the Wellington Cable car. I always enjoy getting a bird's eye view of a new city so I hopped on board. Within a few minutes, the vintage cable car had pulled up to the botanical gardens. This is a quick and cheap way to get the best view of Wellington. Winelands Wellington is the gateway to some of the most magnificent wine regions in the world. We spent a day exploring the vineyards of Martinborough - only a scenic hour's drive away. To make the most of your time, I would recommend organising a day trip with Tranzit Wairarapa Gourmet Wine Escape. Visit four vineyards and relish lunch in the Wine Centre's Martinborough Village Cafe. The following day we hopped on the Interislander ferry for a breathtaking voyage through the Cook Straits to Marlborough in the South Island.