Petone
This week sees us heading back to one of our favorite areas in the Wellington region – Petone. There is something about this little seaside town that keeps drawing us back. Whether it’s the ever changing cafe scene, eclectic collection of junk shops or the fact that it has its own Dutch specialty store, who would know!
We start at one end of Jackson Street and decide to call in to the first cafe we see that has a park reasonably close. First mistake! Cafes in Jackson Street never have car parks close by. There are however, plenty of side streets off Jackson, as long as you’re prepared to walk. This may actually work out well as you can burn off a few calories before and after your meal.
We spot Caffiend not too far along Jackson Street and pull into a side street where parking was abundant (just kidding – we had to walk for ages). The cafe has a typical brick exterior, much like many of the old buildings in this area and also boasts a cute sidewalk seating area.
European settlers first arrived in Petone in 1840, making it one of Wellington’s oldest settlements. Many of the streets surrounding Jackson Street are named after early settlers and of course Aurora Street is named after the ship arriving in January 1840 with 101 passengers onboard.
While we are not sure if this particular building is an original, the interior would suggest it was built well in the region of ‘a long time ago’. With it’s small red bricks, lead light windows and small wooden doors, it certainly has plenty of character.
We take a quick scan of the cabinet (not much going on here) and then take a longer look at the large menu written on the wall. The menu is handwritten on a large roll of brown paper (very trendy) and more impressive than the large selection of food, is the fact whoever wrote up the menu managed to write completely straight across the page. More than 20 years in the classroom tells us this is no mean feat! (Rachael secretly checks for sneaky pencil guidelines, but there are none).
Andre spies a particularly lush looking berry pastry on the counter, and after giving it the glad eye for several minutes decides to claim it as his own. It is in his own words ‘very good’. High praise indeed from this bakers son!
We settle on the french toast and a cuppa tea each. Let us just say, the french toast did not disappoint! Layers of golden, lightly toasted bread with bacon, bananas, maple syrup and a berry coulis. We are often loathe to make bold claims on this blog, but we are going to call it, and say this is the best french toast we have ever eaten.
The food was delivered quickly, by a friendly waitress. The vibe was relaxed and beachy, with no loud music twanging our last early morning nerve.
It is hard to find fault with Caffiend, other than Rachael’s pet peeve that the sugar comes in a communal container on the table. E-Coli with that coffee anyone?
We highly recommend you check out both this cafe and the surrounding streets of Petone.
Jackson Street is also home to Te Puna Wai Ora (Spring of Life) – this pure artesian water originates from the Hutt River, and since 2003 has provided locals and visitors from afar with sparkling spring waters. Attracting hundreds of visitors each week this sculptural visual feast is the perfect perfect spot to have a gaze down the street towards Wellington Harbour. Once you have filled your drink bottle with pure spring water, why not meander along the street and follow the ‘Walk of Champions’ a row of bronze plaques dedicated to Petone’s sporting elite. If this is not your thing, the Lighthouse Cinema or the collection of boutique shops will engage even the most bored shoppers among us!
History lesson and decent coffee. It’s a win win we reckon!
OVERALL SCORE: 5 stars
Sunday at 10 O'clock 