The Venue

Au Contraire will be held at the Quality Hotel on Cuba St in the heart of Wellington. Cuba Street hosts a wide range of restaurants catering to varied tastes and budgets, from the exclusive Logan Brown to cafes, kebab shops, and grocery stores. It's just a short walk from the bus stops on Dixon and Manners Streets and plenty of parking options; on-site parking is available for hotel guests.

The hotel has a private conference level on the first floor, with a boardroom and a main hall that can be split into five separate function rooms by high quality soundproof dividers. We also have exclusive use of the large bar area on the ground floor, and will probably be running a con suite [A hotel room open for any con attendee to hang out in, and used for some smaller events. Technically just a large room in our case, since the hotel doesn't have suites as such.].

The hotel has two wings - spacious luxurious rooms in the Quality Hotel wing to the south, and affordable basic rooms in the Comfort Hotel wing to the north. Comfort twin or double rooms are just $99 per night. There's also one triple room for $140 - if you want that, get in quick! Quality rooms are $155 for one or two people; additional guests are $25 each using existing bedding, or a rollaway bed for another $15.

Book your room on the registration page - the earlier the better, since we can't hold unbooked rooms indefinitely. Even if you live in Wellington, we recommend staying at the hotel if possible; it makes for a more immersive convention experience. If you'd like to find someone to share a room with, try posting a comment here (no livejournal account needed).

Getting There

The hotel is located on Cuba Street between Vivian and Abel Smith Streets. Both the Comfort Hotel and Quality Hotel entrances lead to the same reception area, so it doesn't matter which you use.

By Bus: From the railway station or the northern or western suburbs, you can catch any southbound bus. In most cases, get off at the corner of Cuba Mall and Manners St, then walk south down Cuba. A few buses go down Victoria St instead; for these, get off at the corner of Vivian Street and walk east to Cuba St. From the airport or the southern or eastern suburbs, you can catch any northbound bus. Get off at the corner of Dixon St and Cuba Mall, just past the triangular Te Aro/Pigeon Park.

By Car: Cuba St itself isn't good for on-street parking, but there are a number of parking lots in the area - see Wilson Parking. For hotel guests, there is limited onsite parking via Dunlop Terrace at $15/day - availability not guaranteed.

Driving to Wellington from out of town? Comment here (no livejournal account needed) if you've a spare seat in your car, or are looking for a lift or interested in sharing a rental car.

Alternative Accommodation

Staying at the convention hotel is ideal, but it won't suit everyone. If you're on a particularly tight budget, Lodge in the City offers backpacker accommodation close by. Families in particular might find a motel more appropriate, and the closest option is Victoria Court - though there are a limited number of adjacent Quality Hotel rooms that can be combined into pseudo-suites, which may suit your needs just as well.

Wellington

Wellington is New Zealand's capital city, and a great place to visit. The compact city centre surrounded by bush-covered hills provides both natural and unnatural attractions. Shopping, parks and gardens, museums and galleries, live music and theatre. There's also an enormous range of cafes, bars, and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets.

August is winter in New Zealand, but our climate is pretty mild - don't expect snow or below freezing temperatures, though the wind can get quite chilly. Most of our trees are evergreen, so the city is beautiful all year round.