Wellington, New Zealand
- Damien Chung
- Jan 28, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 29, 2021
SECTION
The capital of New Zealand is Wellington, not the largest in population which is a contrast to many Asian countries where the capital is the largest and densest population. Similar to Australia, which ACT is the capital of Australia and a small population (mostly politicians and official government workers).
Wellington although small in population does attract some tourist. The location allows people to cross over to the upper South Island or start the North Island drive from Wellington to Auckland, passing through some of NZ most unique tourist attractions and a must see for any first time tourist.
Wellington CBD is a slightly denser configuration compared to Auckland. Auckland's commercial area is more spread out, although technically walkable can be very far from one commercial zone to another.
WHAT TO DO
Wellington's unique cable car (and NZ's one and only) brings you from the main shopping strip (Lambton Quay) to the botanical garden. Wellington is built on terrain so it makes sense that there is a system to get people up those steep hills.
Along the waterfront, there's the ferry that crosses over the Cook Strait to the South Island, or grab a bite in one of the restaurants located along the wharf, visit one of NZ's best museum (Te Papa - free entry), underground market (Saturday only), or hit the beach along Oriental Parade. Don't miss the quirky arts and crafts scattered across the waterfront.
As mentioned, Wellington has a lot of terrain, which means there isn't a lack of lookout. On the Eastern side, you have Mount Victoria, on the Western side is the botanical garden. In between those residentials you may get a glimpse of the city skyline as well.
A short drive along the windy road, you will get to Zealandia Ecosanctuary, a large piece of land that houses native species. There are tracks that you can walk on and you can expect to spend at least half a day here.
Wellington being the capital of New Zealand, you will definitely be spotting the very unique structure located in the central city. Known as the Beehive, along with other government structures besides it, you can book a tour to view the interior of the building and learn a little about the history and purpose of the building. As this is a non-photography allowed tour, you will have to store those within your brain. They run different tours throughout the day and you can pick which tour you may be most interested in. Pre-booking is recommended especially during the holiday, but walk in is allowed based on capacity.
Note that the entrance at the back which may be a shortcut depending on which direction you are coming from, is non accessible by the public, so you will need to enter via the main entrance by the front of the building. (Left picture) is the back of the building (Right picture) is the main entrance.
Te Papa is the most famous museum in New Zealand. Over 4 levels with a wide range of exhibitions which is a good way to spend half a day especially if it's a rainy day. Outside the Te Papa building car park, you can find a market here every Sunday.
The Wellington Museum is a lesser known museum located 10 minutes walk north of Te Papa. The museum has some maritime, timeline, Maori, and other exhibitions across the 3 levels.
If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you can visit the Weta Cave, this is the mini studio tour where you get to see props from LOTR and other films. This is located near Wellington Airport, about 15 minutes drive from Wellington CBD. Be prepared to splash some money here as they have some unique souvenirs in their store and the tour can be pricy as well.
With a car, you can also easily access the beautiful coastline all around Wellington. Breaker Bay is situated on the South East corner of Wellington. While I didn't spot any beach access and its rather small car park, this is one of the frequent visits by locals with nudist towards the far end of the bay. While Wellington is not known for its warm weather or calm wind, the right day might bring you to this beautiful spot for a swim.
Towards the northern end of the East coast, you will find Point Halswell Lighthouse. During the day of my visit was one of the windiest days I have ever experienced in Wellington, waves crashing the walkway to the lighthouse and wind strength strong enough to blow you off your feet. While mother nature is running its course, the stunning view out to the Wellington Harbour and ferry crossing make it a great spot to soak up some great view or snap some instagrammable pics that will make your friends jealous.
On the southern end of the Zealandia (wildlife refuge), you can get to the Wellington Wind Turbine, get up close to see the marvel of engineering. If you want to visit a wind farm, they are located in Palmerston North, which is about 2-3 hours drive from Wellington.
A 20 minutes drive from Wellington, you will get to Lower Hutt, another residential zone with some commercial. You will find a shopping mall here, or enjoy the scenic drive along the harbour.
If you are looking for a cool spot to grab a meal and work, check out the Empire Cinema & Eatery in Island Bay. The great food, atmosphere and work friendly environment make it a unique spot to spend your day working away. You can even go watch a movie on a work break or towards the end of a busy work day.
As Event Cinemas, one of the largest cinema operators has closed their only cinema in Wellington due to earthquake damage, there is no other big chain cinema operator in Wellington.
Fancy a laugh? There are many comedy nights throughout the month, you can check out posters or simply search it up on Google to find comedy nights running around town. They are a great way to spend your night out and hang out with your friends.
HOME OF EMBASSIES AND COMMISSIONS
Since Wellington is the capital, you will find a lot of government buildings here. The most famous would be the Beehive, a unique design in the CBD of Wellington and is also the Parliament. Tours are available however walk in or reservation are both acceptable, although walk in is based on availability left, reservation will guarantee your place up to 15 minutes before the tour time. Wellington is where most of the international commission/consulate/embassy is located, including India, China, Malaysia, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Cook Islands, Canada, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Singapore, Niue, British, Malta, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Finland, Norway, Hungary, Netherlands, UAE, Colombia, Israel, Poland, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Egypt, Spain, Austria, Iran, Belarus, Danish, Russia, Vietnam, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Australia, Philippines, Sweden, Argentina, Thai, USA, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and more. Auckland may be the highest in population and also used to be where our capital is based, but foreign nationals may be required to come to Wellington to conduct official matters as there aren't many consulates based in Auckland.
LGBT LIFE
It isn't as lively as Auckland, the most known and biggest would be Ivy bar, located around the dining district of Wellington. They are a small bar that locals hit up to have a dance, get a drink, or watch a show. It isn't crowded compared to Auckland, even the biggest gay club in Auckland (and NZ) isn't as big as many overseas clubs.
AIRPORT BUS
The buses that used to run from the airport to either Wellington Railway Station or Queensgate in Lower Hutt has been permanently suspended until they come up with a new route and service. The fare from the airport to the city is $13, but given that it is no longer available, the trip can now cost upwards of $30. You can use the car share scheme for quick and easy access in and out of the airport, or take a ride share or taxi which will be around the same price (or may be more depending on demand).
CAR SHARE
If you want to rent a car for a day or a few hours or even just getting from point A-B, you can check out Cityhop & Mevo. Cityhop does have a slightly basic fleet compared to Mevo, which has a more luxury fleet. They both have parking space available in Wellington Airport and you can start or end your trip there (although you may be charged a fee; Mevo charges $15 on top of any additional charges, I am unsure what the charges are for Cityhop). Do note that Cityhop is not available for foreigner travelling as you will need a card to be mailed to a NZ address and then tap the card to start and end the trip. Mevo uses their app which allows you to reserve, start and end a trip, along with locking and unlocking a vehicle without needing the remote. All Mevo vehicles have an engine start/stop button so a key is not required generally. Mevo will still require a driver's license check which may take an hour to a day (depending on whether you did it during office hours).
Mevo has improved their app significantly since the last time I used their car, they used to equip a physical car key which you can take out during your trip and put it back at the end, but they have removed it and it's all app based now. They have also significantly improved their app to show you all the necessary information including parking, charging, starting and ending the trip. They used to only offer Audi A3 as their only fleet but also added VW in the last year, with cheaper rates and easier handling for less confident drivers.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
You can take a bus, train or ferry on the Metlink network. Buses would be the most common since train services go out to the other suburbs which are mostly for residents. Ferry services go to 2 areas, Seatoun and Days Bay, both are which residentials as well. A Snapper card ($10 for the card which you can from the stores listed on the Snapper website), which is like a transit card, can be used for cheaper fares on the buses, but you can also use it on the cable car (saving you from having to buy ticket), or on several taxi companies (list on Snapper website).
HOTELS
Bolton Hotel (read review) is one of the hotels with the best suite I have ever seen. If you are looking to stay in some of the most amazing suites, this is the right place.
Sofitel is a well known luxury brand, a brand you can always trust to deliver a 5 star service and amenities. While you will be paying a steep price for their upper end room, you can also expect nothing less than the best.
If you want to stay close to the airport, the Rydges Wellington Airport (read review) is located within the airport terminal with 3 minutes walk to the terminal. Some rooms will give you some great airport action but you will have to pay more for it. You will have the normal amenities in your room and modern design for its fairly new opening, but they won't have the bells and whistles of pool, fitness centre and such.
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