There’s a fair bit on offer in New Zealand’s capital city, from exciting nightlife to one of the country’s best museums and Lord of the Rings experiences. I spent two full days in the city and here are my top 10 things to do in Wellington.
MOUNT VICTORIA
Mt Victoria offers fantastic views over the harbour and central business district of Wellington. You can climb the 192 m or take the #20 bus on week days. The woods around this area are also home to a number of the locations for memorable scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies. Film buffs will enjoy trying to find them. If you’re not up for the challenge, you should book yourself onto a Movie Tours experience with Adventure Safari, where you will be shown film clips on location before being given the opportunity to pose as Frodo and friends with various props! It’s more fun if you’re not afraid to get a bit dirty or make a fool of yourself.
WETA CAVE
Wellington is the home of New Zealand’s film industry, and counts Peter Jackson and James Cameron among its residents. Weta Cave showcases some of the characters and props from hit movies such as Lord of the Rings, King Kong and District 9. You will be shown behind-the-scenes interviews with Weta’s cofounders and can now take part in a ‘Window into Workship’ session, during which the artists and engineers responsible for some of film’s most incredible models show you the tricks of the trade. Weta Caves can be visited independently or as part of the Movie Tour mentioned above.
TE PAPA MUSEUM
Te Papa has got to be New Zealand’s best museum. If you want to see everything it has to offer, you’ll need to set aside at least a day. You can experience a simulated earthquake inside a makeshift house, leave your mark on a giant interactive wall in the multimedia centre ‘OurSpace’ or marvel over a colossal squid that was caught accidentally by a fishing boat in Antarctica in 2007. On other levels, you can learn about Maori history and the Treaty of Waitangi or take in some national art.
CABLE CAR
Wellington’s cable car takes you to the Botanic Gardens and its final stop gives you fantastic views over the city and the harbour. Open till late and just $4 each way, you might choose to ride it to the top and stroll back down at your leisure. Its shiny red cable cars depart from Cable Car Lane every 10 minutes.
BOTANIC GARDENS
As well as being one of the best places in Wellington to get a great panoramic view of the city, the Botanic Gardens offer a maze of walking tracks with information on the local flora and fauna. For me, the highlight was all the sculptures that are dotted around. You could climb inside the one pictured below and listen to the amplified sounds of the city.
CARTER OBSERVATORY
A trip to the Carter Observatory is well rewarded. They have an interactive exhibition where you can touch moon rock or feel what it might be like to be part of a rocket launch. I enjoyed discovering that this telescope with pride of place in the observatory was actually made in my hometown of York, England and shipped over in 1905! If you have time, you can enter the planetarium for an interesting video about the possibility of life on other planets (narrated by Rupert Grint) and an explanation of the Southern Hemisphere constellations.
CUBA STREET
Cuba Street is crowded with bars and restaurants and is one of Wellington’s top spots for a bite to eat or a few drinks in the evening, along with Courtenay Place. Although there are a fair number of Cuban-influenced establishments on the street, it was actually named after an emigrant ship. Along with the nightlife are second-hand book shops, record stores and retro fashion outlets. You also can’t miss the colourful bucket fountain, especially if it splashes you unexpectedly as you pass by.
HIKITIA
A stroll along Lambton Harbour is a must in Wellington. From here, you can appreciate the magnitude of the city’s skyscrapers, while taking in sights such as the Hikitia – believed to be the world’s oldest steam-powered crane ship. The Hikitia saved the city’s waterfront from destruction during World War II when it removed cargo from a US supply ship loaded with munitions that had caught fire.
FRANK KITTS PARK
This little park was one of Wellington’s first waterfront areas to be developed. As well as a fantastic sculpture by Len Lye called the Water Whirler, which throws water droplets in dramatic arcs from a pier, there’s this interesting piece of art, which lights up different colours at night time and plays relaxing music as it blows in the wind.
WELLINGTON ZOO
Ok, so I cheated a little bit here. Sadly, I didn’t have time to visit Wellington Zoo myself, so this is a photo from a safari I went on in Tanzania. The zoo in Wellington has plenty to offer though. In addition to simply wandering around and viewing the cuddly animals, you can sign up for a close encounter with cheetahs, lions, giraffes, red pandas or meercats. They even offer a sleepover option, including animal feeding and behind the scenes tours.
GETTING TO WELLINGTON
Intercity Buses provide services to Wellington from the following popular destinations (rough times in brackets): Taupo (6 hours); Hamilton (9 hours); Auckland (11 hours). Further transfers are available from these locations. For travel to the south island, you can book the InterIslander Ferry (3.5 hours). Use the tool below to search for specific bus journeys or click through to their home page for flexible passes and information on tours and activities.
WHERE TO STAY
There are plenty of backpacker hostels in Wellington, mainly centred around the same area near Courtenay Place. I spent a few nights in X Base. The dorm room was warm and comfortable and the hostel provided pay-as-you-go internet, washing powder for the laundry room and plenty of recommendations and local travel advice. They also booked me a transfer bus to the InterIslander Ferry the day I left.
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I was a guest of Adventure Safari and received a tour of the Carter Observatory as part of my partnership with 100% Pure New Zealand. They did not request that I write a favourable review and any opinions expressed here are my own.
You can follow my Kiwi adventures on Twitter via the hashtag #ScaredBritless or check out my Facebook updates here. For more information about travelling in New Zealand, visit 100% Pure New Zealand.
Great list, I’ll save this in case I ever visit (which I will hopefully one day)!
Becky Padmore recently posted..Lesser known stops along Australia’s East Coast
I hope you do! I arrived to heavy rain with a friend and we couldn’t find anywhere to park, so I thought initially that I’d hate it, but it turned out to be a great city for exploring and for going out in the evenings.
Awesome list! I want to visit New Zealand more than ever after following along on your amazing trip there.
Jennifer recently posted..10 Tips for Hiking Italy’s Dolomites Alta Via 1
I’m glad it’s inspiring you to go, Jen. I think you’d love it!
I had no idea that Wellington is such a fascinating and gorgeous looking city.
I love how the ‘interesting piece of art’ at Frank Kitts Park plays peaceful music as it blows in the wind. So cool!
As horrific as earthquakes can be, I’d have to experience a simulated one at the Te Papa museum as I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it.
Mike | Earthdrifter recently posted..Captured for the Camera: Saudi Sunsets
That artwork was great, especially when it started changing colour. It sounded like real music. So clever. I also agree about the earthquake simulator. I’d never experienced one and it was really unnerving to feel how much the ground moves. They have a warning that it could upset people who’ve experienced one before. Of course, if anyone was in Wellington a couple of weeks ago, they wouldn’t have needed to visit Te Papa to feel an earthquake. I’m really glad I missed out on the real thing.
Great intro!
Ohhhhh my Precious!!!
memographer recently posted..Old Bangkok Made of Gold
I love gollum! The poor creature is so misunderstood. I’d have nursed him back to his former self before the ring turned him creepy…
Wellington looks really cool! You are really inspiring me to take a trip to NZ. Dangerous! :-)
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..Flashback Friday: How not to haggle at Otavalo Market
Do it!!! Haha.
Wellington sounds like a pretty cool place.
This might sound weird but I’d like to experience the simulated earthquake at Te Papa (cool name). Weird, right?
Marcia recently posted..Everald Brown Dove Harp – Jamaica
I think it’s interesting to feel what it would be like if you’ve never experienced one before. I’ve never felt a real earthquake. Even the simulation is really disconcerting.
Great post! I really liked Wellington!
I am especially liking the face you are pulling on that first pic! :) x
Helen recently posted..Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
Haha. It’s awful, but not too far from Elijah Wood’s version…!
Hi Arianwen,
I love New Zealand! I think it’s one of the most beautiful and diverse countries out there (although I could be biased seeing as I am 1/2 Australia and 1/2 from New Zealand) haha.
Great post, thanks for sharing!
I don’t think it’s biased. I’d have to agree with you!
Loved Wellington – I spent a couple of days there too but only managed 4 out of your top 10 (Te Papa, the Cable Car, the Botanic Gardens and Cuba Street), mainly due to a few too many wines on Cuba Street on the first night!
Lucy recently posted..One day in Santa Fe
They’re a good 4! Cuba Street is really funky. I was a bit disappointed my friends didn’t want to meet there. We had a couple of great nights out in Welly too though ;)
Great! I’m going to visit New Zealand next 2 months to visit my closest friend. Hope I will have time to check these things. :)
Have you ever been to Viet Nam? If any one of you has a chance to visit my country, I’l be your tour guide :))
By the way, please check out my post at Traveling during the rainy season
I hope you enjoy your time in New Zealand. I’ve never been to Vietnam but would love to one day. I’ll let you know! :)
Thanks for these suggestions! We are currently in Wellington and will hit up a few spots from your list. Loving the blog btw!
Aw, thank you very much! I’m glad I could help a bit. I hope you have a great time there!