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Explore Wellington

Plan Your Walking Tour of the City and Beyond!

As you Explore Wellington New Zealand’s capital city located at the southern most tip of the North Island, you can plan a series of walking tours.......it is so compact.

The city is surrounded by hills, with historic houses clinging to the sides......... the Harbour at the fore front. Scenic viewpoints especially from Mt Victoria look across Cook Strait to the Southern Alps and Marlborough Sounds in the South Island.

Many of the suburbs are beachside, and the drive around the harbour hugs the coastline.Explore Wellington beaches and bays.... Eastbourne, Lyall Bay, Island Bay...each has their own character. North of the city on the Kapiti Coast you have a string beautiful beaches .Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt are satellite cities .

While Wellington enjoys a temperate climate....... it has earned the title “Windy Wellington” due to the winds that frequently whip through the narrow streets funnelled through from Cook Strait.

Here I share some of my favourite experiences when I explore Wellington.

About Wellington City

Wellington is a picturesque city that has had something of a revitalisation in recent years. Small..... with a compact city centre, it is a nice city to visit if you base yourself in a central location where you can walk to do much of your sightseeing.

Being home to our parliamentarians and many government services there is excellent shopping and entertainment and a good range of cafes , bars and restaurants catering to a reasonably well off population.

The Wharf area is a vibrant mix of cafes, bars and entertainment, museums and Art galleries.

The Kelburn Cable Car creates a splash of red against the dark green hillside.Once a historic wooden car, it is now a modern car.

Oriental Parade is a lovely stroll around the waterfront and in summer has outdoor cafes and activities – kayaking, rollerblading as well as the beach for safe swimming.

Cuba Street Mall is a fascinating place to watch the world go by – enjoy a meal......... shop......or experience the nightlife!

Courtney Place Is the other area which comes alive at night.

Basin Reserve -Wellington has its famous “cake tin” stadium right in the city centre and is the scene of many national and international rugby games.

Take a Walking Tour and Explore Wellington City!

The Beehive - Free Tours of Parliament Buildings Public one-hour tours leave on the hour from the Beehive.Mon to Fri - 10am hourly to last tour at 4pm, Sat & public holidays - 10am hourly to last tour 3pm, Sun - 11am hourly to last tour at 3pm - please arrive 15minutes before the hour.Located in Molesworth Street just up from the Wellington Railway Station.
Old Saint Paul’s Gothic Cathedral – built completely of New Zealand timber in 1834 - 34 Molesworth St
Wellington Museum on Queens Wharf – for a view of Wellington’s HistoryCity Gallery – The city art gallery
Michael Fowler Concert Hall and Complex – You can enjoy concerts and shows in the Concert Hall at this centrally located modern complex. It is Wellington’s main convention centre.
Wellington Town Hall – This lovely old Town Hall is another place where you will find concerts that might attract your interest.
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa – Mostly called Te Papa ------meaning “Our Place” it is our National Museum. Te Papa is one of the biggest drawcards for tourists. Situated on the waterfront it has ,a changing display of art. Free to visit, children love to explore Wellington and New Zealand history with the many interactive displays.
Thorndon Walk – or Katherine Mansfield Walk takes you up into the historic area where Katherine Mansfield lived in one of the large old wooden houses. With views that inspired much of one of New Zealand’s most well known authors this is highly recommended as a very interesting tour.
ExploreWellington Writers Walkwhich follows the waterfront past a series of plaques representing each writer with a quotation from some of their writing.
The Kelburn Cable Car - is a historic treasure – its red cars pulling you up the hill past Victoria University to the Carter Observatory and Planeterium and the top of the Botanic Gardens and more magnificent city views. You can also go through the Cable Car Museum.Wander back down through the gardens and stop for a break at the cafe by the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens and children’s play area. You end up by Parliament building – the Beehive as we call it....... due to its distinctive round shape and architectural features.

Explore Wellington Nature Attractions

Karori Sanctuary - is a beautiful area of bush in the city – there are guided walks you can check out at the Information Centre.
Otari-Wilton’s Bush - is the place to go if you are interested in New Zealand’s native flora and fauna. There are several walkways to suit different fitness levels.
Matiu-Somes Island – Take the Dominion Post Ferry to this island in the middle of Wellington Harbour and wander the bush tracks as you trace the history to this island which housed Prisoners of War.
Explore Wellington Zoo - especially if you have children.You can see Tahi the one legged kiwi, and have a Close Encounter with the big cats!

Lord of the Rings Tours and Attractions
Explore Wellington.......explore Middle Earth! Wellington was the main base for the filming and production of the famous film trilogy the Lord of the Rings and is certainly a great destination for LOTR fans.
You can visit the Weta Cave where the 3-D animation was done and experience first hand some of the work for LOTR.
Middle Earth Tours - Take any of several different versions
Do the Experience Stansborough Tour to Lower Hutt where you are taken on a tour that shows the process including everything from the farm to the finished fabric made for the costumes for LOTR including a fantastic gallery of some of the costumes.
Ring Rover Tour – a hop on hop off day pass to the many LOTR sites and attractions.
http://www.tourism.net.nz/region/wellington/tours/lord-of-the-rings-tours/
Wellington considers itself a cultural city with an ever changing programme of music, theatre and shows. As you explore Wellington check out the many theatres and concert halls.
Now home to the annual Wearable Arts Competition that originated in Nelson If amazing quirky design is an interest try and combine your trip to Wellington with this fascinating show.
Check the Information Centre for details of current shows and concerts when you are in the city.
Other Interesting Wellington Activities

Film Archives - You can watch any film you choose from New Zealand’s cinema history– Free.
National War Memorial on Buckle Street near Basin Reserve. This Memorial was built in stages to honour all who fought and fell in the South African (Boer) War, the two World Wars and the conflicts in Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. The Carrillionthe third largest of its kind in the world....... has 74 bells – each named with a personal dedication.The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is the most recent edition and was built in 2004.

Activities Near to Wellington
Red Rocks – If you are looking to explore the Wellington coast this is a lovely walk.The 30-40 minute coastal walk from Owhiro Bay to Red Rocks is created by ancient pillow lava. Iron compounds in the rock, gives it the distinctive red colour. There are four original baches( holiday homes) which have historic places trust protection. You can carry on to Sinclair Head (3 kms) and a bachelor fur seal colony - they have left the females to care for their young. You will see seals from May to Ocotober. There are organised tours for this trip.
Wine and Gourmet Food - The Wairarapa is another of New Zealand’s well known Wine regions specialising in Pinot Noir. Take a day or overnight tour to Martinborough the wine centre.............. and include a stop at Greytown to visit some Gourmet Food places.
You could either take a self drive tour, it is only an hour north of the city............... or go with a tour company – Zest Tours specialises in food and wine tours. You can also take a scenic train trip to Martinborough – via Featherston.
Recommended City Shopping
Look out for:
Old Bank Arcade – Lambton Quay - is a nice place to browse some boutique designer shops, view the historic sections of the original old banking chamber below the glass floor and have a coffee at Smith the Grocer.
Kirkcaldie and Stains - This old department store still retains some of the tradtional ambiance , yet houses a treasure trove of beautiful homewares and clothing, furniture and much more. It is an excellent place for a coffee and snack break in their cafeteria.
Getting Around the City

Walking - To explore Wellington inner city sightseeing you are best to walk.
Buses - run through the main centre and will take you to many of the outer walks such as Red Rocks or Karori Sanctuary
Use a Bus Pass – see below
Trains - Railway Station is opposite the Beehive - Wellington is well serviced by trains running north out of the city.
Rental Cars - for trips out of the city
Day Tours can often be the most efficient way of seeing a lot in a short time.
Rover Day Pass – This entitles you to hop on hop off at different destinations around the city in a self guided one day tour.
The Ring Rover Tour : visits locations in and around Greater Wellington used during filming of Lord of the Rings movies. You will visit 9 locations, have a picnic lunch, and receive a souvenir map. All this with a guide who will keep you entertained and informed as you explore the city – Middle Earth to LOTR fans!
Twilight Rover – See the city lights from the top of Mount Victoria and the fascinating glow worms at Otari-Wilton’s Bush for a night experience of Wellington.

Eating Out
Explore Wellington cuisine - it is well served with numerous excellent eating places from top end restaurants to well priced ethnic restaurants, cafes, and bars.
At the top end Logan Brown is run by Steve Logan and Alistair Brown who do a wonderful TV and DVD series “Hunger for the Wild”
I like to have lunch at Dixon Street Deli – the food is delicious and you can browse the well stocked deli section after you have eaten .
Shed 5 Restaurant and Bar on Queens Wharf is a wonderful old building restored to its current glory retaining the old timbers and ambiance and serving excellent meals!
There are so many different ethnic restaurants to choose from - the line up looks like you are anywhere but in New Zealand as you peruse the list.
Wellington Accommodation
Wellington has a good selection of hotels.
James Cook Hotel – I found this hotel an excellent location to explore Wellington from. You can walk through to the main street and are near to the Railway Station, Parliament Building, The Wharf , Shopping, Restaurants and an easy walk to all the city sights. I can recommend this hotel.
Apartments – There is a huge choice of self contained, serviced apartments in Wellington. Look for something along The Terrace for a central self contained place.

Explore Wellington Cheap Hotels, Backpackers, Hostels HERE .........you have plenty of choice with any number of options.
Richmond Guest House – We found this clean and comfortable. The bus stop was near by, and it was close to Te Papa and Oriental Parade end of the city.

Camping You would need to go out to Lower Hutt Top 10 Holiday Park for a camping ground.Capital Gateway Motor Inn at Newlands has a camping park for motorhomes with full facilities including a dump station.

There are also camping grounds further out at the beaches on the Kapiti Coast - Waikanae and Paraparaumu if you are happy to just be in the vicinity.

Explore Wellington to Holidays in New Zealand-Home