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Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington from the ferry to South Island

Wellington (Te Whanganui a Tara in Māori) is the capital of New Zealand but only its third largest city. The Windy City is on the foreshore of Wellington Harbour and ringed by mountains, providing the scenic home of many of New Zealand's national arts and cultural attractions.

Wellington offers a blend of culture, heritage, fine food, and lively arts and entertainment.

Surrounded by hills and a rugged coastline, the city boasts a stunning harbour. Wellington’s charm is that it serves up a vibrant inner city experience with a slice of New Zealand scenery. And because of its compact nature, you can sample it all: boutiques, art galleries, trendy cafes and restaurants. Right on its doorstep is a network of walking and biking trails with beautiful wineries and vineyards just a few hours away.

Wellington offers an array of theatre, music, dance, fine arts and galleries and museums. It is also home to one of the nation’s key attractions, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

The city promotes itself as "Absolutely Positively Wellington". Its motto "Suprema a situ" claims site supremacy, with some justification. Wellington was named as the fourth best city in the world to visit in 2011 by "Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011" referring to the New Zealand capital as the "coolest little capital in the world".

• Wellington Visitor Information Centre (iSITE), Civic Square, Corner Victoria and Wakefield Streets, ☎ +64 4 802 4860 or 0800 933 53 63. A good place to begin your Wellington visit - they're able to book accommodation, activities and provide useful information about Wellington and surrounding areas. Their website contains the same information and is worth checking out prior to your visit. They are a member of the national i-SITE visitor information centre network (i-SITE Web).

Climate

Wellington is known as the Windy City. The prevailing wind is from the northwest but the strongest winds are southerly. The wind speed and direction can be seen by the flag being flown from the Beehive. A large flag is flown only on calm days, a small flag is flown when windy days are expected.

The temperature in Wellington rarely drops below 0°C (32°F), even on a cold winter's night, while daytime winter temperatures are rarely lower than 8°C (46°F). During summer, the daytime maximum temperature rarely gets above 25°C (77°F). Away from the seaside, in inland valleys, frosts of up to -10°C (14°F) have been recorded and snow settles on the nearby ranges in winter.



You MUST Do 

• Te Papa, Web. The national museum. Particularly good if you have children to entertain on a rainy day. Free (except for the occasional special presentation).
• Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Queens Wharf, Web. Daily, 10AM-5PM, closed 25 Dec. A well-presented museum of the history of Wellington, including its maritime history. Free.
• City Gallery, Civic Square. Lacks a permanent collection but runs a consistently avant-garde set of exhibits. It also has the excellent cafe Nikau attached to it.
• The Wellington Cable Car, from Lambton Quay (next to the McDonald's), 04 472 2199, Web. Daily until 10PM. The easiest way to get a nice view of the city and harbor, the Cable Car runs on rails from Lambton Quay to the Botanic Garden in Kelburn every ten minutes. $3.50 one way, $6.00 return (Concession prices are available for children, students and senior citizens over 65)
• Frank Kitts Park. A great place to wander around, with walls to climb, inline skates, and jet ski rental.
• Lookout points - Wellington City is surrounded by hills, so there are a number of good vantage points:
  • Mount Victoria. (196 metres) The best lookout in Wellington. The full 360-degree view is a great place to see the the airport, the harbour, the CBD and the Town Belt with just a turn of the head. It takes about an hour to walk up from Courtenay Place. Many tourist buses go there but also a lot of the locals, especially at night to 'watch the view'.
  • Mount Kaukau. (445 metres) Another great lookout point, not as close to the city as Mt Victoria.
  • Wrights Hill. More views, and WWII underground tunnels which are open to the public on public holidays for a small fee.
  • Brooklyn Windmill. Another great place to go to get an excellent view of the city, the harbour, and Cook Strait, plus experience the wind!
  • Massey Memorial An interesting place to go if you want to see a large memorial in the middle of nowhere, with a good view of the surrounding harbour.
• Karori Cemetery is an interesting picnic spot.
• Elmscourt an historic art deco apartment block on the corner of The Terrace and Abel Smith Street.
• Oriental Parade. A new beach. However if you are not from somewhere really cold it is unlikely that it will be hot enough for you to be in desperate need for a swim. There is a spa pool (jacuzzi) in Freyberg Swimming pool (on Oriental Parade) which is inexpensive if you enjoy "people soup".
• Karori Wildlife Sanctuary (Zealandia), end of Waiapu Rd, (first left after the Karori Tunnel). Daily 10AM-5PM (last entry 4PM), closed 25 Dec. A predator-proof fence encloses an old water catchment area, forming a mainland island that provides a natural haven for endangered native birds, tuatara, wētā, and other indigenous flora and fauna, safe from introduced predators. By far the most convenient place in the country to see rare New Zealand wildlife. $18.50, child $9, more for guided tours.
• Plimmer's Ark. Under and in the Old Bank Arcade on the corner of Lambton Quay and Customhouse Quay - near Plimmer's Steps. A hundred years ago a Bank was built on top of a wrecked ship that had been used as a market. When they renovated the building they discovered the ship's timbers and preserved the remains in the building! Just take the escalator down through the bank vault doors.
• Parliament Buildings, the Beehive (or Executive Wing), and the Parliamentary Library. The grounds of Parliament are open to the public. Known as the hill, Parliament grounds are at the foot of Molesworth and Bowen Streets, where they meet Lambton Quay.
• National Library of New Zealand, corner of Aitken and Molesworth Streets (across the road from the Cathedral and Parliament), Web. The library regularly holds exhibitions.
• Turnbull House, Bowen Street (just across the road from Parliament Buildings). This imposing brick mansion now seems small and out of place amongst the surrounding high-rises.
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  The Old Government Buildings, with the cenotaph in the foreground and NZ Post headquarters behind.
  Old Government Buildings opposite Parliament at 15 Lambton Quay. This is the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere and the second-largest in the world. It is now the home of Victoria University Law School.
• Old St Paul's, (one block east of Parliament). This was the Anglican center for decades. Superseded by the new cathedral north of Parliament, this one is popular for weddings and funerals.
• Statues and sculptures appear in some intriguing places around town. Famous prime ministers, memorials, and works of art have all been erected in the streets of Wellington, including:
  • Memorial statues to two prime ministers in the grounds of Parliament as well as a bicentennial memorial to Captain Cook's 1769 discovery of New Zealand.
  • The Cenotaph on the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street, just outside the Parliament Grounds, is where a Dawn Memorial Service is held every ANZAC Day (25 Apr).
  • Behind Parliament, on the corner of Museum and Bowen Streets, is a small park with 3 sculptures in block.
  • On the corner of Lambton Quay and Stout Street, the fallen column has not come off the nearby building but is a work of art.
  • On Lambton Quay, opposite Cable Car Lane, the two stainless steel monoliths with pimples are actually a poem in braille!
  • Where Lambton Quay meets Featherston Street there is a wind mobile.
  • The Bucket Fountain Web in Cuba Mall - a real splash, for many years.
  • The Wellington City Council website provides a guide to its public art: Wellington City Council Public Art Guide Web.

• Wellington Central Library, (in the city square, next to the information centre), Web. It's huge with great places to sit and read or if you bring your laptop to connect home via one of the city's paid-for wi-fi networks. Entry is free.
• Matiu/Somes Island Out in the middle of the harbour, this island has its share of history. It was once a quarantine station for immigrants, and later (and more extensively) for animals. It was also an internment camp for "dangerous" individuals during both World Wars. The ferry leaves from Queen's Wharf and Day's Bay (on opposite sides of the harbour). Only at certain times will the ferry stop at the island and only upon request. The best choice is to leave Queen's Wharf at noon and return at 2:30PM or 3:25PM. $18.50.
• Carter Observatory, 40 Salamanca Road, Kelbrun (2 minute walk from the top of the Cable Car), ☎ +64 4 910 3140. 10am-5pm. Carter Observatory, located 2 minutes walk from the top of the Cable Car. Recently re-opened, Carter offers a state of the art planetarium show, along with multi media exhibits show how early Māori, Polynesian and European settlers navigated their way to New Zealand. $18 adults.

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