We had a great stay.
Particularly for somebody beginning a trip from Wellington, this would be a great place to start. There are shops of all kinds within easy walking distance: outdoor equipment, tech gear, supermarkets, restaurants and so on. Anything that you might have forgotten, or simply wanted to grab at the last minute would be within easy reach.
Beach is just across the road, and Wellington CBD was easy to reach by road (and probably train too).
We had a comfortable and enjoyable few days.