Local Attractions

Petone Workingmen’s Club

Despite its name, the Petone Workingmen’s Club is just as popular with women as men. Situated just 600 metres from Settlers Motor Lodge, the club is a safe place for locals and visitors to come together to enjoy the friendly atmosphere and great facilities. Motel guests are welcomed as visitors, and can enjoy the facilities including buffet meals from the upstairs restaurant or cheap but substantial bar meals. Guests can also charge back their meals to their motel account, particularly popular among corporate guests as it simplifies their expenses claims.

 

Petone Settlers Museum

An architectural gem commemorating the first organised European settler landings in New Zealand, the museum focuses on migration and settlement in the Wellington and Hutt Valley region and its resulting cultural diversity. 5 minutes walk from Petone’s historic Jackson Street cafes and shops.

Open hours:
Tuesday to Friday: 12pm – 4pm
Saturday to Sundays and public holidays: 1am -5pm

Schools and groups welcome by appointment. Admission free, donations welcomed. Available free parking.

 

Jackson Street, Petone

Jackson Street is a heritage icon, combining an eclectic mix of old buildings with funky cafes and boutique shopping.

The retail strip boasts a huge variety of specialty shops, cafes, bars and restaurants that supply a wide range of ethnic foods, great coffee and goods not available anywhere else. The majority of shops are run by the owners, so the service is second to none!

 

Te Puna Wai Ora

A vital multi-cultural community steeped in New Zealand history, Petone residents wanted to celebrate the uniqueness of their water in the new millennium by building a civic work that paid tribute to a natural treasure valued by residents throughout the region.

Te Puna Wai Ora was designed by the highly regarded New Zealand artist Louise Purvis and symbolises a water oasis – a place of rest, refreshment and exploration.

The Sculpture also serves a practical purpose – the taps and drinking fountain incorporated into the design supply untreated artesian water for Petone’s proud residents and admiring visitors.

 

Petone

Steeped in history and enormously popular with cafe lovers, Petone is one of New Zealand?s rags to riches success stories.

Only 15 or so years ago, shops and homes in Petone were in danger of decaying into oblivion. Then came the rush for older character houses and coastal properties. Hutt City Council upgraded historic Jackson Street and put boardwalks, walkways and attractive lighting along the foreshore. Now Petone is one of the most desirable real estate precincts in the region.

Much of Petone’s appeal is the housing, some of which dates back to the late 1800s. Streets such as Aurora, Tory and Oriental — named after some of the first settler ships to sail to New Zealand — are full of renovated houses that have retained their old world character. In fact, Petone was the site of New Zealand’s first organised European settlement, in 1839, though well after Maori had settled in the area.

The Petone foreshore boasts a large beach for safe swimming, excellent windsurfing, jet-skiing and water-skiing, and fishing from the Petone Wharf. The Petone Settlers Museum on the foreshore has regular exhibitions that relate the story of early Maori and European settlement. The best water in Wellington can be sampled at the marble fountain on the corner of Buick Street and Jackson Street. The water comes directly from the aquifer below — no added chemicals!

 

La Bella Italia

La Bella is the perfect way to experience Italy right here in the Hutt Valley with its Authentic Italian food, Italian gift ideas, original recipes, catering and much more….

Here you can find your way to the experiences of Italy – from Demonstration Dinners, to Catering… whatever your heart desires.

For more information visit La Bella Italia’s website at www.labellaitalia.co.nz