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Bay Plaza has rooms for Labour Weekend from $99 inc GST

With hotel deals from as little as $99 inc GST per night, Wellington's the place to be to experience the electric RWC 2011 atmosphere and a city break this Labour Weekend. Here's what's on Saturday 22 October to Monday 24 October for anyone making last minute holiday plans:
 

What’s On?
 

The inaugural Pacific Beer Expo promises to be the best showcase of elite craft beer from the Pacific Rim ever assembled in New Zealand. The venue will be the Boatshed on Wellington’s waterfront. On tap will be around thirty beers from breweries such as Rogue from Oregon; Green Flash, Ballast Point, Moylan’s, Coronado and Bear Republic from California; Baird from Japan; Feral, Jamieson and Bridge Road from Australia and a number of New Zealand’s finest and most adventurous breweries. The local contingent will be led by New Zealand’s new Champion Brewery 8 Wired and brand new Wellington nano-brewery Garage Project. The event consists of two five hour tasting sessions, running from 2pm until 7pm, on October 22 and 23, 2011. The ticket price includes 8 tokens, a programme and PBE branded glass. More tokens & glasses can be bought.

RWC 2011 at the FanZone

You may have heard there's a little game of rugby on the Sunday night of Labour Weekend - be at the heart of the action at either the waterfront FANZONE or in the Wellington Town Hall. There'll be roving entertainment before the matches and at half-time. Food and drink will also be available at the waterfront FANZONE.

The Bronze Final between Wales & Australia kicks off on Friday at 8.30pm, and the All Blacks vs France Final is on Sunday at 9.00pm.

Oceania at Te Papa and City Gallery, until November 6. Tickets $10.
Oceania is a landmark collaborative project between City Gallery Wellington and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa that brings into focus the lives, dreams and histories of Pacific peoples. It comprises two independent but complementary exhibitions, both opening in August 2011 Oceania: Imagining the Pacific at City Gallery Wellington, and Oceania: Early Encounters at Te Papa. Experience the art of leading modern and contemporary Māori, Pacific Island and Pākehā artists at City Gallery Wellington’s Oceania: Imagining the Pacific, and explore Pacific, Māori and European peoples' response to new technologies, materials and ideas at Te Papa's Oceania: Early Encounters. For more information visit www.oceania.org.nz.

Gaggenau at City Market: Canapes + Craft Beer. Sunday 23 October, 10am-11.30am. Tickets $50.
September through December, Wellington’s popular City Market providore market is hosting intimate cooking classes with Wellington’s best chefs and food personalities. Set in a stunning Gaggenau kitchen, classes take place in the City Market where you will be surrounded by bustle, bounty, and aromas. The day of the Rugby World Cup final is devoted to Canapes + Craft Beer, as presented by Chef David Thurlow of Café Polo and Burger Wellington 2011 fame. Enjoy tastes of David's dishes and his craft beer selections before being sent on your way with recipes and a beautiful Gaggenau magazine, well satiated and bursting with ideas… and just a little excited about the game that night! Details and online booking at www.citymarket.co.nz

Sex Drive at Circa Theatre, runs until Saturday 12 November, $38 – $46
Love, Lust and Lotto. Sex Drive is a fast-paced comedy that tells the story of three women who work in the Pack 'n' Pullet Poultry Factory. Their Lucky Clucky Chicken Plucking Syndicate wins a second division Lotto prize... and so Sex Drive is born. A mobile sex shop created by women, for women. They find they have skills they had never imagined - but the Sex Drive truck runs out of luck when it rolls up against Christian sensibilities on one side and City Council bylaws on the other. The tension builds in a battle of wits. Love is won and lost and all is revealed in a rollicking grand finale... Sex Drive is co-written by Wellingtonians Lorae Parry and Pinky Agnew, both of whom have received the MNZM for services to the Performing Arts.

20 Nations Food Festival at James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, runs until Sun 23 Oct 2011
Lunch buffet: 11.30am-2.30pm, Dinner buffet: 5.30pm-10.30pm. $37 – $45
Try 20 different dishes from the 20 nations that have been represented in New Zealand over the past few weeks. Whitby’s Restaurant’s legendary buffet will feature national-themed dishes such as American Clam Chowder, Australian ‘Roo’ Salad, Fijian Kokoda (marinated fish), French Ratatouille, South African Bobotie (spicy mince), Canadian Maple Sugar Pie and of course the good old Kiwi Pavlova. Dine between 5.30pm – 7pm and receive a complimentary glass of house wine, beer or juice.

Behind Closed Doors: New Zealand Art from Private Collections in Wellington, at Adam Art Gallery until Sunday December 18. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm
Get an insight into the private collections of the cultural capital. Showcasing ‘moments’ in a history of New Zealand art from 1946 to the present, drawn exclusively from private collections in Wellington, this revealing exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see works that complement and extend the holdings of New Zealand’s public and corporate collections. The paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are simultaneously significant works by major figures and tributes to the often close relationships that accrue between artists and their patrons.

What’s New?

:: Christchurch’s Bangalore Polo Club (BPC) has recently made the move to Wellington’s Courtenay Place, just down the road from fellow new kid on the block Ancestral. BPC’s opulent and stylish clubrooms have a retractable roof to make the most of the sunny days and the summer refresher that is the Lady Stacy (single origin vodka, strawberries, cucumber, mint and pineapple juice) may be just what the anniversary weekend doctor ordered. 63 Courtenay Place

:: Wellington is home to a trail of boutique bars celebrating New Zealand’s finest brews. Wild About Wellington offer a Boutique Beer Tasting Tour, or DIY around classic favourites such as the Malthouse (48 Courtenay Place) and underground cult Japanese beer bar Hashigo Zake (25 Taranaki St) and brand new gems such as Little Beer Quarter (6 Edward Street), Hop Garden (13 Pirie St) and Fork and Brewer (upstairs at 14 Bond St).

:: At the city end of Cuba St, the new Phoenix boutique cosmetics store offers an extensive range of makeup services along with its own cosmetics line. Staffed by experienced makeup artists (the Phoenix Pink Ladies), you can get your makeup done for a special night out in the capital of cool, or book in for a one-on-one lessons so you can learn to recreate the looks at home. Signature products in the extensive make-up range include their shimmer powder and custom-blend foundation - blended on the spot to match your exact skin tone. 34 Cuba St

What’s the Deal?

West Plaza Hotel
From $101 including GST per room per night. Fun kids pack included. Available 21-24 October 2011

Bay Plaza Hotel
From $99 including GST per room per night. Available 21-24 October 2011.

Rydges Hotel has the following weekend Capital of Cool Packages available @ $199 inc GST:

:: Capital Chill
One night’s accommodation in a Superior Room
Two return Cable Car tickets
Two Espresso Coffees and Muffins to takeaway
In-house movie or 2 tickets to the Embassy
 

:: Capital Thrill
One night’s accommodation in a Superior Room
Crocodile Bike hire for two
Cocktails & Sliders at the bar
Toss the Boss for a free room upgrade on arrival

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Coolest Little Capital in the World
Dubbed a ‘city on the rise’ by Lonely Planet in 2007, Wellington rose to the challenge the ‘coolest little capital in the world’ was named the 4th top city in the world to visit this year by Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011.

A Local Favourite
Wellington has been named New Zealand’s favourite destination in the Fly Buys/Colmar Brunton Mood of the Traveller Survey seven out of eight quarterly surveys to date.

Culinary capital
Wellington restaurants have taken out the supreme Cuisine Restaurant of the Year award four out of the awards’ seven years and the city has been named in the Top 10 Food & Wine Destinations in the South Pacific in TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice 2011 Awards.