Wellington
Introduction
Wellington is New Zealand's capital city, sitting at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. It serves as the administrative centre of the Wellington Region, and it holds the distinction of being the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state.
Expect a temperate maritime climate, and expect wind — Wellington is the world's windiest city by average wind speed, so pack accordingly and plan around the breeze rather than against it.
Before you go
Wellington sits at the southern tip of the North Island, wrapped around a sheltered harbour and ringed by hills and a rugged coastline. The central city is compact, so you can cover a lot on foot: boutiques, art galleries, cafés and restaurants cluster together, with walking and biking trails and wineries within easy reach. The city's cultural life spans theatre, music, dance and museums, including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. If you want to book accommodation or activities before you arrive, the Wellington Visitor Information Centre on Cable Street, inside the Tākina Events and Convention Centre, can help, and its website carries the same information.
Two things shape any visit here. The first is the wind: Wellington is known as "Windy Wellington", and the flag flying from the Beehive tells you what to expect — a large flag means calm, a small one means wind is coming. The second is the geology. Fault lines run through the region, much of the central city was raised by an earthquake in 1855, and small to moderate earthquakes occasionally shake the city. If the ground moves, stay indoors until a warden or similar authority says it is safe to leave, unless you are in immediate danger, and shelter from falling objects. Winter days are cool and summer days mild, with snow rare in the urban area though it falls on the nearby ranges. Note that Wellington Anniversary Day, marking the arrival of the city's first European settlers, is observed on the Monday closest to 22 January.
Getting there
Wellington International Airport sits in Rongotai, about 5 km southeast of the central city, on an isthmus between the Miramar Peninsula and Mount Victoria. The southerly approach comes in over Cook Strait and the northerly approach over the harbour. There is a single terminal for both domestic and international flights, with frequent services from Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Hamilton, Nelson, Blenheim and other destinations. International flights from Australia arrive about twice daily, and the evening flights land after midnight when most facilities are closed; there are also flights from Fiji, Canberra, the Gold Coast and the Chatham Islands. Landing in a strong wind can be an adventure, as the short runway means pilots typically use a powered approach with full reverse thrust and hard braking, which can make for a roller-coaster ride, so keep your seatbelt fastened and loose items stowed. To reach the CBD, the Airport Express bus stops next to the arrivals hall and uses a Snapper card, while the cheaper Metlink Route 2 leaves from Hobart Street, a 700-metre walk away. Ride-sharing services are more cost-effective for groups; turn right when exiting the terminal and follow signs to the app-based pickup zone. Shuttle vans, taxis and covered car parking are directly outside the terminal.
Regular ferries cross between Wellington and Picton in the South Island with Interislander and Bluebridge, connecting with buses and the train to Christchurch. The Bluebridge terminal is next to the railway station, while the Interislander terminal is about 2 km northeast of it, with a shuttle bus running between the two. Some overseas cruise ships also stop in Wellington. By road, the city sits at the southern tip of the North Island and is reached via State Highway 1 or State Highway 2, which meet at the Ngauranga Interchange on the harbour shoreline. From most North Island destinations you follow State Highway 1 south of Levin through Ōtaki onto the expressway along the Kapiti Coast; from Hawke's Bay and the Wairarapa you take State Highway 2 over the Remutaka Hill Road, which winds over the Remutaka Ranges and may occasionally close in winter due to high winds or snow. Hitchhiking from central Wellington is difficult, as most traffic stays within the metropolitan area and it is illegal on the motorway until the Hutt Valley or Ōtaki; catching a train to Waikanae or Upper Hutt and walking to the main highways is a better bet. By train, the Northern Explorer runs between Wellington and Auckland, a commuter service runs once daily from Palmerston North, and a service from Masterton and the Wairarapa operates several times daily. InterCity Coachlines runs daily buses from Auckland, New Plymouth, Napier, Hastings and Palmerston North, all arriving and departing at Platform 9 at the Wellington Railway Station.
Getting around
Wellington's central city is compact, linear and pedestrian-friendly, so walking is often the easiest way to get around the core. The classic commercial backbone, the Golden Mile, runs from the Railway Station down Lambton Quay to Willis Street, then via Manners Street to Courtenay Place, crossing the bohemian heartland of Cuba Street on the way into Te Aro. The Waterfront is another rewarding route on foot, running from the Kumutoto area past Queen's Wharf and Frank Kitts Park, through the Lagoon and City-to-Sea Bridge to Te Papa and Waitangi Park, then curving northeast along Oriental Bay with its beach and promenade.
For longer trips, Metlink coordinates an extensive network of buses, suburban trains and ferries across the city and the wider Greater Wellington region, with an online journey planner. Buses are frequent along the Golden Mile, so you rarely wait more than a few minutes there. Trains fan out from Wellington Railway Station to the northern suburbs, Porirua, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, the Kapiti Coast and Masterton in the Wairarapa, with reduced weekend frequencies on some lines. Fares use a zone structure and can be paid with a Snapper card or contactless credit or debit card, both cheaper than cash, with further discounts off-peak; remember to tag on and off. Day passes offer unlimited trips after 9AM on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays. The Kelburn cable car runs between Lambton Quay and Kelburn, near the Botanic Gardens, and the Eastbourne ferry links Queen's Wharf with Days Bay, stopping at Somes Island on most trips. Taxis and ridesharing are plentiful, and driving in the core is generally unnecessary, though not difficult once you learn the one-way system.
Where to stay
Most short-term accommodation in the Wellington urban area is found in the central city, so start your search there; the district articles carry the actual listings. The wider urban area spreads across the Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt city councils, with the Greater Wellington Regional Council handling shared services across the region, so where you base yourself depends on whether you want to be in the heart of things or out in one of the surrounding centres.
If you are staying for a month or more over summer, when students are away, a shared house — a "flat" in New Zealand English — is a good way to meet locals and get a feel for the culture. Look for "Flatmates wanted" listings on Facebook Marketplace or TradeMe, the local classifieds site. Flats are much cheaper than other options and are usually already furnished in the communal rooms by the other tenants, though you may need to supply your own bed; a cheap second-hand one is an option, or a flatmate might lend you one. Everyone shares the rent, bills and chores, and sometimes food, meals and even washing. Some flats come fully furnished, but that is not the norm. Rent is typically paid weekly rather than monthly, and a bond of two to four weeks' rent is normal.
Food & drink
Wellington packs in plenty of places to eat and drink, with cafés, bars and restaurants found throughout the city. Malaysian food is surprisingly popular and turns up in most areas, while Turkish kebabs are easy to find anywhere. For Lebanese, head to the Phoenician Falafel on Kent Terrace. Fish and chips is the best-value option, and you'll usually get better quality out in the suburbs. Pub fare is often decent to pretty good, though prices swing from relatively low to faint-inducing. If you're after a cheap meal, 24-hour snack joints such as Night 'n Day and Fix are common in the CBD, serving pies, noodles and confectionery at rock-bottom prices. Uber Eats and Delivereasy are widely used, especially around the CBD.
The nightlife centres on Courtenay Place, a major street running from the CBD through Te Aro and ending in Mt Victoria, where things get extremely busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Wellington has a thriving craft beer scene, entrance charges are nonexistent or minimal, and dress standards are relaxed during the day — flip-flops, called jandals here, are often fine, though some of the better clubs ask for reasonable dress in the evenings. Cuba Mall has cooler, more alternative bars. Over on Lambton Quay you'll find after-work bars popular with office workers, but this area empties out later on and isn't the place for all-night partying.
What to see and do
As the capital, Wellington is the centre of New Zealand's government, and much of it sits within walking distance of Parliament, around the northern end of The Terrace and Lambton Quay and the Thorndon commercial area. The city's museums and galleries reward a day or more: the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum, with exhibitions on the country's history and culture, while the Wellington Museum covers the city's history, including its maritime past. The Carter Observatory pairs a planetarium show with exhibits on how Māori, Polynesian and European settlers navigated to New Zealand, and the National Tattoo Museum explains tattooing in New Zealand and the Pacific, especially traditional Māori tattooing. Preserved Victorian houses include the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace and Nairn Street Cottage, the Cable Car Museum tells the story of the uphill transport, and the City Gallery hosts changing modern art displays. Among the landmarks are Plimmer's Ark, the preserved remains of a wrecked ship, Turnbull House, Old St Paul's, a former cathedral, and the art deco National War Memorial. The hills around the city give you plenty of vantage points. The Wellington Cable Car is the easiest way to take in a view of the city and harbour, while Mount Victoria is the best lookout, with a full 360-degree view of the airport, the harbour, the CBD and the Town Belt; Mount Kaukau is a great lookout too, though not as close to the city, and Wrights Hill offers views plus World War II underground tunnels. Zealandia is a natural haven for endangered native birds, tuatara, wētā and other indigenous flora and fauna, safe from introduced predators, and is by far the most convenient place in the country to see rare New Zealand wildlife. Matiu/Somes Island sits in the middle of the harbour and served as a quarantine station for immigrants, later for animals, then an internment camp during both world wars, while Weta Workshop offers tours of the studio behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy. For something gentler, the Wellington Botanic Garden is a good spot for a picnic or an afternoon walk, with the Cable Car Museum, the Lookout and the Carter Observatory at the top; Bolton Street Memorial Park is a place to meander and read the epitaphs of early pioneers and historical figures; and Frank Kitts Park on the waterfront has walls to climb, inline skates and jet ski rental. You can take a ferry across the harbour from Queen's Wharf, walk the Art Deco Heritage Trail past the outsides of 30 art deco buildings, follow Pariwheo/Red Rocks to a seal colony named for its distinctive red rocks, or tackle the challenging Skyline Walkway. Oriental Parade in Oriental Bay is the city's most beautiful street, where locals and visitors run, walk, cycle, rollerblade, eat at the cafes and restaurants along the strip, or sunbathe at the beach.When to go
Wellington is a windy city with mild winters and mild summers, and snow is rare in the urban area. In winter, daytime temperatures rarely drop below freezing and nights rarely reach freezing either, so frost and snow are uncommon in the city itself. Snow does fall on the nearby ranges, and daylight is short, with sunrise not until 7:45AM and darkness falling just before 5PM.
Summer brings mild conditions, with daytime maximums averaging around comfortable levels and rarely exceeding them, while overnight lows stay mild. Days are long, with the sun up from 5:45AM to 8:45PM, giving you plenty of daylight to explore.
Three days in Wellington
Day one: Start at the Wellington Visitor Information Centre on Cable Street, then walk to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa to get your bearings on the country and the city. Tākina Events and Convention Centre sits nearby if you have a conference to attend. From there, head up Mount Victoria for views across the city and out to Cook Strait, with the Remutaka Range visible inland. Expect wind — this is Windy Wellington, and the fault lines under the region are part of why the landscape looks the way it does.
Day two: Explore the Wellington Region beyond the centre. The Miramar Peninsula and Rongotai, where Wellington International Airport sits, are worth a look, and the harbour and hills give the city its shape. If you are arriving by air, Wellington International Airport is the main gateway, with connections to Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Hamilton, Nelson and Blenheim, plus international flights. Note that Wellington Anniversary Day falls on a Monday in January, a public holiday that may affect what is open.
Day three: Take in the civic sights — the Beehive and the surrounding government quarter — then return to the waterfront. Winter here is cold and wet, so plan indoor stops; summer is mild but rarely still. European settlement shaped much of the central city, and the Wellington Region remains the cultural and political heart of New Zealand. If you have time before your flight, a last walk along the waterfront is a good way to finish.