Ice cream, that truly magical blend of cream, sugar and your favourite flavour, the joy as it melts in your mouth, taking all your worries away. There is a reason that ice cream is the go-to cure for all ills of the heart. It really is a hug in a cone (or cup).
Nothing beats the anticipation of that soft creamy sweetness on a warm summer’s day (or any day actually). Classically served in a cone, it is the perfect way to enjoy your ice cream while strolling along a beach, or in a park. And where better to do that than in the capital city of the country that consumes the most ice cream per capita in the world? So, let’s talk ice cream in Wellington because this is a city that loves its ice cream!
The best spots for enjoying ice cream in Wellington
Cuba St
So much ice cream and so little time, but let’s start in the Cuba Quarter. This quirky part of town is home to no less than four specialist ice cream stores. The colourful displays of quirky ice cream flavours found across these stores will have you salivating. These scoop stores are open until at least 10 pm most nights, so you can get your ice cream fix at almost any time. But note, it is not uncommon for there to be queues.
Kaffee Eis
146 Cuba St
What started as a little ice cream shop in Oriental Bay is now a powerhouse of gelato in Wellington with a seriously loyal local following. With more than 45 flavours, there is always something to tempt your taste buds. The Cuba St store is also a café with a breakfast menu, homemade cabinet food and soups alongside an array of sweet treats. So if you really feel you need to, you can eat your greens first.
In 2023 Kaffee Eis won12 medals at the NZ Ice Cream and Gelato Awards. And those judges know some stuff about ice cream!
Cuba St is one of three Kaffee Eis stores around Wellington. The other two are on Courtenay Place and a kiosk on the waterfront at the TSB Bank Arena.
Duck Island
168 Cuba St
From your first step inside the door the nostalgic milk bar vibe of Duck Island‘s Cuba St store invites you to indulge. With over 50 flavours rotating through the scoop stores there is an ever-changing selection to tempt you. Check out the experimental special flavour sensations that are available for limited times in store.
Known for fresh ingredients, with seasonal and sometimes surprising innovations, Duck Island definitely passes the ‘What’s in the tin?’ test with ice cream names that reflect the actual ingredients.
Vegan or Gluten Free? Duck Island has you covered with a range of delicious options.
The Cuba St store is one of two locations you can enjoy Duck Island ice cream in Wellington, the other is in Willis Lane, corner of Willis St and Lambton Quay.
Zelati Dessert Cafe
116 Cuba St
Using only premium ingredients, Zelati make their small-batch gelato and sorbets from scratch.
Zelati is well known in the Wellington hospitality scene and their converted ambulance ice cream truck is a favourite at local events.
Plant-based, gluten free, dairy, soy or egg-free? Zelati has extended its sorbet and sorbetes (coconut-based) offerings – meaning that no ice cream lover is left behind!
Zelati also has a menu of fabulous desserts, including their famous cookie ice cream sandwich. The biggest problem is choosing just what treat you will have today.
Ben and Jerry’s
106b Cuba St
While not a local ice cream, and therefore potentially a controversial inclusion in this list, Ben & Jerry’s is also part of the Cuba Quarter ice cream quartet. And of course, Ben and Jerry’s is no stranger to controversy!
So if you are in Wellington and craving your dose of Chocolate Therapy or Chunky Monkey, head to Cuba St!
But wait, there is so much more ice cream in Wellington
Gelissimo Gelato
Taranaki Wharf, 11 Cable St or 139 Oriental Parade, beside Freyberg Pool
Another stalwart of the Wellington ice cream scene and serial award winner, Gelissimo uses local produce that packs a flavour punch. If you’ve ever had an idea about an ice cream flavour you should pop in and share it – they just might just give it a go.
Gelissimo Freyberg sits right beside the playground on Freyberg beach, the perfect spot to pick up a cone before, after or during a waterfront stroll.
Wooden Spoon
The Wooden Spoon boutique freezery churns up the Wellington ice cream scene with hand crafted magic in flavours like smokey pokey, Vietnamese coffee, churros and more. Combining salted caramel and hokey pokey in one ice cream- genius!
Wooden Spoon ice cream can be enjoyed at the scoop shop in New World Chaffers Marina, local cafés and cinemas, and is sold in tubs in most supermarkets around town. If you are really lucky you may happen on their ice cream trailer in summer.
The Enormous Crocodile and Shake
5/22 Herd St, Wellington waterfront by Chaffers Marina
The Enormous Crocodile and Shake isn’t your average scoop shop. This shop takes ice cream to the next level by combining ice cream cones and shakes for one creamy, sweet, crunchy, fruity delight.
The biggest problem is in choosing which shake to enjoy – from the Cookies Crocshake (Oreo thickshake, chocolate fudge, cookies & cream ice cream with more Oreos & cream) to a Jellytip Crocshake (raspberry and sherbet thick shake, Jellytip ice cream, boysenberry ice cream, boysenberry creme lollies, cream & sherbet). Yes, that is all in one crocshake!
Be warned, you might have to skip lunch and dinner if you indulge in one of their extraordinary combinations. Or maybe bring a friend to climb this mountain of a thick shake.
Vegan ice cream in Wellington
These guys are also shaking up the vegan (coconut ) ice cream scene with an ever-changing range of vegan options. Our current favourites are the Miso Caramel, Cafe Cubano and Mint Chip.
If your arteries are not quite up to a full crocshake, you can also get a shake, smoothie, ice cream or coffee on its own.
Tip Top Ice Cream and the Corner Dairy
No discussion of ice cream in New Zealand is complete without a mention of Tip Top ice cream. Available in cones from corner shops and in tubs from supermarkets around the country, this is the ice cream of our childhoods. And it is really good!
Stopping for ice cream is often a part of a private tour with uTours. Some of our favourite places to indulge while on a tour include:
- The Seaview Takeaways Great for fish and chips, perfectly followed by an ice cream. Experience both at the beach in Lyall Bay.
- The Kia Ora dairy in Featherston. The perfect place for an afternoon pick-me-up before travelling back over the Remutaka Hill after a day visiting wineries in the Wairarapa.
- The Cable Top Eatery Ice Cream Cart – At the top of the Cable Car (in summer only) you will find the ideal place to pick up another classic New Zealand ice cream – Kāpiti Ice Cream to enjoy on your stroll through Wellington’s Botanic Gardens.
- The Oriental Bay Store, 252 Oriental Parade. This store has been serving locals since the late 1800’s. It is ideally placed for you to pick up an ice cream before heading across the road to the beach.
uTours provides customised private tours…why not ask us to design an ice cream tour just for you!
New Zealand and Ice Cream
New Zealander’s eat more ice cream per capita than anyone else in the world, with an astonishing 28.4 litres per person per year. Mmm, who is eating all of my ice cream?
New Zealand even has an ice cream and gelato week which coincides with the annual ice cream and gelato awards. Many of Wellington’s favourite ice cream makers are regular award winners.
The history of ice cream in Wellington
Wellingtonians were early adopters of ice cream
The earliest known advertisement for ice cream in New Zealand was on 27 January 1866 when Wellington’s Empire Hotel advertised there would be ice cream served at lunch and dinner. This ice cream was made with ice that had been harvested from a frozen lake in New England and shipped halfway around the world!
In the 1880’s W.F Ross, a Wellington fruiterer on Lambton Quay was offering cordials, milkshakes and ice cream. An ‘American Drinking Saloon’ opened on Hobson St offering non-intoxicating drinks and ice cream. This was made possible by the development of mechanical ice makers during the previous decade.
The Marble Bar opened on Manners St in 1916 and the Tip Top Milk Bar, the first to serve only milkshakes and ice cream followed in 1935. This was so successful that the company opened more milk bars and began large scale manufacturing as the Tip Top Ice Cream Company. Tip Top remains an iconic New Zealand ice cream brand, producing over 35 million litres of ice cream and over 30 million individually wrapped ice creams and popsicles each year.
FAQs
What country consumes the most ice cream per person?
New Zealand
How much ice cream do New Zealander’s consume?
New Zealanders consume 28.4 litres of ice cream per person per year
What are the most popular ice cream flavours in New Zealand?
The most popular ice cream flavours sold in New Zealand are Vanilla, Boysenberry and Chocolate
What is the difference between ice cream and gelato?
Ice cream has a higher fat content, contains eggs and has a lighter texture due to the faster churning speed.
Gelato typically has a higher ratio of milk to cream so has a lower fat content, does not include eggs and has a denser texture from a slower churning speed.
Conclusion
Wellington has it all when it comes to ice cream. From Duck Island’s experimental flavours to Enormous Croc and Shake’s outstanding selection of vegan options, there is always something to surprise and delight.
Experiencing ice cream in Wellington doesn’t stop at just taste; there’s also an appreciation of the tradition of grabbing an ice cream from the corner dairy and strolling along the beach or through a park.
While there are many specialist stores with exciting new flavours, Tip Top’s original hokey pokey remains a cultural icon. Ice cream anyone?
And speaking of cultural icons, find the places that you can indulge in another local classic, fish and chips, here.
Check out the top things to do in Wellington with kids here