Wellington Travel Guide

  View of Wellington Harbor from Mt....
by klmousseau
 
  • View of Wellington Harbor from Mt. Victoria
      View of Wellington Harbor from Mt....
    by klmousseau
  • The famous Wellington tram
      The famous Wellington tram
    by chizz
  • Wellington from Mt Victoria
      Wellington from Mt Victoria
    by didgeridorien
  • Don't we all?
      Don't we all?
    by Martialsk
  • ...words
      ...words
    by Martialsk
 

Pro

KiwiMarie profile photo

  best coffee, cool retro shops, neat and compact 


Con

kiwi profile photo

  The wind! The wind! 


In a nutshell

craic profile photo

  It is provincial, but these days it seems so prosperous and placid. (Except for the boy racers - more of that anon.) The accent seems odd to begin with. 

 

Explore Wellington

Things to Do  

Mt Victoria

Mt Victoria, Wellington

 14 Reviews  If Wellington is like San Francisco, then Mt Victoria is like Twin Peaks. It's the best place within the city to enjoy a panoramic overview of the harbour, the city centre, and the nearby suburbs. Incidentally, the slopes of this hill provided one of the settings for Peter Jackson's Lord of the... 

Parliament Buildings & Beehive

Parliament Buildings & Beehive, Wellington

 30 Reviews  Take a guided tour and learn about how New Zealand's government works. You'll see how laws are passed. Bills are introduced into the democratically elected House of Representatives, who then vote on them. When a Bill is passed, it then becomes an Act. New Zealand remains a constitutional monarchy,... 

Wellington Cable Car

Wellington Cable Car, Wellington

 22 Reviews  This funicular system reminds me of the ones in Quebec and Pittsburgh. It takes visitors from Lambton Quay (Wellington's main street) up Kelburn. From here, one can visit the Cable Car Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the Planetarium. 

Te Papa National Museum

Te Papa National Museum, Wellington

 34 Reviews  If any museum can equal the one in Auckland, then this is it. This is Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand. It covers all the natural history of this country. This is another must-see for any visitor to Wellington. 

Lambton Quay & Downtown

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" buildings around you and rest from the sun under their shadows. 

Wellington Botanic Garden

Wellington Botanic Garden, Wellington

 17 Reviews  One of the world's best botanic gardens, this one offers a stunning array of plants and habitats from New Zealand and Australia. It has miles of beautiful hiking trails. This is a must-see for anyone visiting this city, especially nature lovers. It also contains a number of unique works of public... 

Waterfront

Waterfront, Wellington

 25 Reviews  This is the best place to learn all about Wellington's past, especially the maritime history. It's full of ship models, sea memorabilia, and exhibits on local life in the past. Of particular interest are exhibits from the ill-fated inter-island ferry T.E.V. Wahine, which was lost at sea with heavy... 

ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience

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 a very special pest proof barrier, that measures 8.6km in length. You can find a woven network of... 

Wellington Zoo

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 my day we had pony cart rides, elephant rides, and gondola rides. Yes, that is right, gondola ride... 

Hotels  

Novotel Wellington Capital

 4 Reviews and 489 Opinions  Novotel is conveniently located downtown with direct lift access to Lambton Quay, a shopping area.... 

Bolton Hotel Wellington

 1 Review and 403 Opinions  My stay at the Bolten was great. After a flight in from Seattle, connecting in Aukland, I arrived... 

Restaurants  

Fishermans Table

Fishermans Table, Wellington

 5 Reviews  This restaurant has a perfect location - situated at the waterfront of Oriental Bay, only a short distance to Wellingtons city center, it has a splendid view of the bay and the harbour district. The restaurant is very popular among both locals and tourists. So it is highly recommended to reserve a... 

Kaffee Eis

Kaffee Eis, Wellington

 1 Review  There are several outlets of this coffee house, and although the coffee and the cakes might be delicious I am absolutely not interested in that. It is the gelato that makes my mouth water only by the thought of it. Perhaps you do not know yet that one of the things I miss most in New Zealand is... 

Arizona Bar & Grill

Arizona Bar & Grill, Wellington

 3 Reviews  We went to this restaurant when we had planned to have dinner somewhere at the Waterfront around Queen’s Wharf and did not find the restaurants overly exciting, especially the Loaded Hog has a much nicer atmosphere in Christchurch. So we walked back towards Lambton Quay, intenting to take the bus to... 

The Green Parrot

The Green Parrot, Wellington

 2 Reviews  The Green Parrot has been in operation since 1926 and is a bit of an institution in Wellington. Located near the corner of Taranaki and Cable streets the restaurant is rather basic with older formica tables and comfy old style seats. On arriving you are seated and then get some slices of bread with... 

One Red Dog

One Red Dog, Wellington

 2 Reviews  One Red Dog is listed as a pizza restaurant and it, in my experience, delivers some of the best. Located off Wellington's Courtenay Place in Blair St, ORD is very popular so get there early. There are tables in prime locations by the window and many others dotted around catering for different group... 

Matterhorn

Matterhorn, Wellington

 1 Review  As this bar and restaurant (with really good and now award winning food; see update at the bottom) has been described as legendary, iconic, a must-have-been place and Wellington institution in every travel guide for centuries we would not want to miss it on our last Wellington visit. Well, it was... 

Caffe L'Affare

Caffe L'Affare, Wellington

 1 Review  I've labelled L'Affare as a Coffeehouse as no option for a Cafe. Caffe L'Affare is more than just a coffee place with its really good breakfast and lunch menus as well as great coffee. The place is normally very very busy though service is quick and friendly in the face of lots of suits with... 

Nightlife  

Welsh Dragon Bar

Welsh Dragon Bar, Wellington

 2 Reviews  The Welsh Dragon Bar is located on an island between Cambridge Tce and Kent St in a what was once a public toilet. It was a toilet stop for the trams and plays on both Welsh culture and former building purpose with their motto - "come in for a leek". I met Craic and Kiwi here for the start of a... 

The Thistle Inn

The Thistle Inn, Wellington

 1 Review  The Thistle Inn is an interesting place to visit for an evening drink. It's history begins in 1840, where it stood very near to the waterfront until land was reclaimed in 1876 pushing the foreshore further away. Check out the photos on the wall, depicting this. Some photos from early years and... 

Favorites  

Parliament Buildings

Parliament Buildings, Wellington

 1 Review  Parliament has been located in Wellington since 1865 when it was moved from Auckland - not the building obviously! The Beehive is one of New Zealand's icons though it's only the building that has the offices of the MPs and the Prime Minister. 

Internet Connections

Internet Connections, Wellington

 2 Reviews  This was the most amazing machine I found! Here you can free up some memory space on your digital camera by a number of ways: Print digital photos from $1-45 NZD per print. Edit digital photos. Email your digital photos - $5 NZD total. Save digital photos to CD. Your own CD $5 NZD CD supplied... 

The Place

Capital City of New Zealand.

Experience Wellington
  •   653 Tips and Reviews
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The People

262 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 Wellington has become the main city for the New Zealand film industry due to, in no small part, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and director Peter Jackson.... 

262 members live in Wellington

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Does anyone know where I can get a Welsh flag from in Wellington? Preferably a big flag you can wrap around yourself! Thanks! 

CatherineReichardt profile photo

A: Can't imagine why you would be looking for one of those in Wellington this week in particular ... :) Sorry, I have no idea, but whatever you end up wrapping around... 

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Top Wellington Writers

1

A Capital on Shaky Hills and wind-swept Seas

Kakapo2 profile photo

 Finally – Wellington! It has taken me quite a while to put a page about New Zealand’s capital together. Somehow I had forgotten about this city after a visit on my first NZ trip. As this had been... 

2

Wellington - Capital of New Zealand

fishandchips profile photo

 Maori legend has it that Wellington is the head of the fish pulled to the surface by the Polynesian navigator Maui. Wellington has been our nations capital since 1865 due to its location. Parliament... 

3

Raffish and Energetic - Quirky and Agreeable

craic profile photo

 Wellington has such a particular look and feel. The beautiful harbour, the hills, the weather, the wooden houses - I think the tradition of wooden houses comes from the fact that Wellington was... 

4

WELLINGTON - The Capital of our country.

kiwi profile photo

 Wellington really is the most amazing city. Often ridiculed by the rest of the country, one needs to spend time here to let the love grow. It is a geographically beautiful but "separated" town. There... 

5

wellington, nz

djramey profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Wellington. I'd love to share with you the 14 tips I've written, the 28 photos uploaded, and 2 travelogues I've created. 

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