Wellington Region Things to Do

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  • Zealandia
      Zealandia
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  • Mt. Victoria above Oriental Bay.
      Mt. Victoria above Oriental Bay.
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  •   Wellington Botanic Garden
    by hsm
  •   Wellington Botanic Garden
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  •   Wellington Botanic Garden
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Most Viewed Things to Do in Wellington Region

1.

Mt Victoria   Wellington

Mt Victoria, Wellington

 13 Reviews  If you have no car or are not into hiking or just too short of breath to make a longish uphill walk, put the Mt. Victoria Lookout on your Things to do list of a weekday. Strangely enough, the Metlink... 

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2.

Parliament Buildings & Beehive   Wellington

Parliament Buildings & Beehive, Wellington

 29 Reviews  The Beehive is a Parliament office building located next to Parliament. It is shaped like, you guessed it, a beehive, and is a unique building that has seen plenty of controversy about its design.... 

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3.

Te Papa National Museum   Wellington

Te Papa National Museum, Wellington

 33 Reviews  El museo es una de las "joyas de la corona" entre los museos de Nueva Zelanda . Es un museo muy moderno con holografías , partes interactivas, actuaciones culturales Maori ... El nombre de “Te Papa”... 

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4.

Wellington Cable Car   Wellington

Wellington Cable Car, Wellington

 21 Reviews  The Wellington Cable Car was opened in 1902. Millions of people take this fun red cable car ride each year. In 1933 electricity replaced steam for power. In 1978 the earlier system was replaced by a... 

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5.

Waterfront   Wellington

Waterfront, Wellington

 24 Reviews  The Waterfront path running from the warf area all of the way around to Mirimar is an ideal place to go for a run and see more of Wellington at the same time. The tricky bit for this is the wind which... 

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6.

Lambton Quay & Downtown   Wellington

Lambton Quay & Downtown, Wellington

 11 Reviews  Lambton Quay crosses Wellington downtown and shops (international chains and local activities) line up on both sides of the road. While shopping and window-shopping also take a look at some "old"... 

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7.

Wellington Botanic Garden   Wellington

Wellington Botanic Garden, Wellington

 16 Reviews  The Botanic Gardens is a relaxing place to walk and see a wide variety of domestic and foreign plant species. I would recommend a ride up on the cable car, and then walking back down into the city... 

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8.

ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience   Wellington

ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience, Wellington

 9 Reviews  The Karori Wildlife Centre is a very impressive and pleasant “oasis” of nature so very close to the centre of the city. What seems like an entire valley of gorgeous bushclad hillsides, is fenced with... 

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9.

Wellington Zoo   Wellington

Wellington Zoo, Wellington

 5 Reviews  I have spent a lot of time at the Wellington Zoo because I grew up in this city. And I have seen it change from lions and tigers in tiny concrete cages to something way more animal friendly. Back in... 

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10.

The National War Memorial   Wellington

The National War Memorial, Wellington

 1 Review  The National War Memorial and Carillon commemorates all the New Zealanders who served and died in the Boer War, World War I, World War II, and the wars in Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. It is one of the... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Zootastic

by Duffelgirl

Wellington zoo increasingly focuses on 'preserving and breeding endangered animals', which is why they house a very special resident, the famous kiwi. The birds live in a dark walk-through area and if you stick around long enough you will see them foraging for food and perhaps hear their shrill call (and jump a mile!). The Kiwi's literally roam free within their house and if you're lucky they may well waddle right past you. We were spellbound and watched them for nearly an hour. The staff arrange talks throughout the day about all the different animals, we caught up with the giraffe talk and as a 'big kid' got to feed the giraffe-brilliant!!

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SOUTHWARD MUSEUM TRUST

by balhannah

This is located not that far from Wellington at Paraparaumu on Highway 1, north of Porirua city. The Southward Car Museum has a collection of over 350 vehicles, as well as three aircraft, motorcycles, bicycles, fire engine etc. There is also a display of other Heritage items and Traction Engines.The car museum's collection includes Marlene Dietrich's 1934 Cadillac Town Cabriolet, a 1915 Stutz Indianapolis race car, gull-winged Mercedes-Benz, a 1950 Cadillac "gangster special" that belonged to gansgter Mickey Cohen, and an 1895 Benz Velo, imported to New Zealand in 1900. Sir Len Southward and his wife, Lady Vera Southward began collecting cars in 1956. Buying and restoring old cars to add to his collection, he opened the Southward Car Museum in 1979.The private collection of vintage cars (approx 350) about half are on display at a time is one of the best we have seen. It traces motoring...

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Rugby!

by gardesque

Let me put it this way: My US collegue who joined me for the trip thought that American Football was the best game in the world. But after attending a Rugby game in Wellington, he had problems going home to the US. He felt a little ashamed, because he realized that American Football was for wusses, and once he was past that feeling - where would he be able to go to a Rugby game in the US??!?I personally think American Football is relatively boring (and impossible to follow). Soccer is a little better, but it still bores me. But a rugby game??!? Just let me know where and when, and I'll be happy to join.For those who have not yet experienced a rugby game in real life, I'd like to add that the crowd is more brutal than in soccer games as well. When a player was injured and the team doctor was looking at him, the audience started booing and telling the player that "you mom ain't here to...

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Go see the real Kiwis

by RogerW1nz

Wellington Zoo is small but has a good collection of animals to see and interact with, from lions to tigers to giraffes. There are also chimpanzees, lemurs, bears, meercats and of course, kiwis. But it's tricky seeing the kiwis, even in their new Nocturnal House, because it's a bit dark!Photo of the lions by Anne from Norway, one of the 42 exchange students I accompanied on a 12 day tour of the North Island in April 2004.

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National Museum

by rozehill

New Zealand's Te Papa Mueseum opened on the 14 February 1998. The Museum is located in Wellington the capital city. With waterfront views and a unique architectural design, Te Papa is one of the city's most visted attractions. Te Papa challenges the concept of what museums should be. Many of the exhibits celebrate & educate what it means to be a New Zealander. But what makes this Museum stand out from the rest are the exhibits themselves. Many of these exhibits are interactive and make you feel like you are virtually there

Parliament Buildings: Beehive

by sunnywong

Free tours of Parliament Buildings operate every day, on the hour. Tour duration is 1hr. Weekdays commencing 10am, last tour 4pm; Saturdays and most public holidays commencing 10am, last tour 3pm; Sundays 12noon, last tour 3pm. Contact the tour desk, ground floor, Parliament House.

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TE PAPA (New Zealand's National Museum)

by sunnywong

This interactive museum tells the stories of New Zealand's past, present and future. Discover our unique natural environment, explore the diverse history and experience the warmth and vitality of Maori culture. Try a virtual bungy jump, or experience New Zealand's past and future in the Time Warp. This is serious fun! Free entry. Audio guides available in English, German, Japanese and Maori ($5 per person). Open 10am–6pm every day (late to 9pm Thursday).

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Wellington Cable Car

by sunnywong

One of Wellington's most popular tourist attractions. The journey begins at Lambton Quay, in the heart of the city. The cable car runs past the university and Kelburn Park to the top of the Botanic Gardens where the Cable Car Museum, Carter Observatory and the Planetarium are to be found. The views span out over the harbour from the Hutt Valley to Mount Victoria. Take a return trip or take a walk through the gardens and the historic suburb of Thorndon.

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Visit Te Papa, the national...

by hollyday

Visit Te Papa, the national museum. If the Wellington weather is at it's notorious worst, Te Papa is a great place to spend a couple of hours.Here the story of New Zealand unfolds from beginning to today.Lots of interesting exhibits makes this a worthwhile visit.

If you can, try to visit...

by hollyday

If you can, try to visit Wellington at the end of February and the beginning of March. This is when the Arts Festival and the Fringe Festival is in full swing. The streets, theatres, playhouses are alive with entertainment for three weeks.

Top 3 Hotels in Wellington Region

Novotel Wellington Capital  Wellington

 4 Reviews and 430 Opinions  Novotel is conveniently located downtown with direct lift access to Lambton Quay, a shopping area.... 

 Hotels in Wellington

Bolton Hotel Wellington  Wellington

 1 Review and 357 Opinions  My stay at the Bolten was great. After a flight in from Seattle, connecting in Aukland, I arrived... 

 Hotels in Wellington

The Place

Reviews and photos of Wellington Region attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Wellington Region sightseeing.

Experience Wellington Region
 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi all, We are going to NZ with a few friends. We are going over the Easter break, so will only have 4 or 5 days. Of course we... 

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A: Hi, I would consider the area around the Bay Of Plenty.......very beautiful. Cheers 

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