Wellington

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: -41.28648
• Longitude: 174.776217

On Travellerspoint

• 10 Wellington Hostels
• 2 Wellington Hotels

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Introduction

Mural in Wellington

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New Zealand's capital Wellington is not the country's largest city (that honour goes to Auckland), but it's a vibrant city with a thriving café scene and many great museums, galleries and music venues.

"Windy Wellington" is set along the Cook Strait at the south-western tip of North Island. It's a steep, packed city; activity is centered around the CBD, where a large proportion of Wellingtonians work.

Neighbourhoods

Wellington's CBD is quite compact, so you can reach any part of it on foot. It is divided into four main districts:

• Courtenay Quarter: The city's nightlife is centered around Courtenay Place. This is also a central hub for the public bus system, including the airport bus service.
• Cuba Quarter: Adjacent to Courtenay Quarter, Cuba Quarter harbours a vast number of restaurants, cafés and bars. Walk up the pedestrian-only section of Cuba Street or the pedestrian-only stretch of Manners Street and soak in the atmosphere.
• Lambton Quarter: Centered around Lambton Quay, a popular street for shoppers.
• Waterfront: You can walk along the waterfront from Whitmore Street to Oriental Parade. Along the way, you'll pass the Events Centre, Museum of Wellington City and Sea, Frank Kitts Park and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum, ending up at the marina.

Sights and Activities

Museums

• Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) is New Zealand's national museum and can be found on Wellington's waterfront. This museum has amazing exhibits on the history, art and culture of New Zealand.
• Museum of Wellington City & Sea is located on the Jervois Quay on the waterfront in the historic Bond Store. This museum was originally the Wellington Maritime Museum. Today it has expanded its collection to include much more. Open: 10 am to 5 pm, Admission: Free.
• Katherine Mansfield Birthplace was originally the home to one of New Zealand's most famous writers, Katherine Mansfield, today it is a museum dedicated to her life.
• The Colonial Cottage Museum is located in the suburb of Mount Cook. This cottage was built in 1858 and is considered Wellington's oldest building. The museum is dedicated to the early colonial life of New Zealand's founders.
• New Zealand Cricket Museum is a great place to learn all about New Zealand's history and love for cricket.
• City Gallery is a good place to check out a current exhibition. The gallery is located at 101 Wakefield in the Civic Square. Open daily 10 am to 5 pm except during exhibition changeovers and Christmas Day.

Drama and Dance

• New Zealand Ballet is a good place watch some classical dance at world class theatre.
• St James' Theatre features plays and operas from classical writers to modern writers.
• Downstage Theatre is a great place to see some more contemporary New Zealand drama.
• Bats Theatre if you want to see the more experimental side of drama, then this small theatre is the place for you. The theatre has a small backstage area making it possible for it to run multiple plays at the same time year round.

Other Sights and Activities

• Wellington Cable Car and Cable Car Museum offers a scenic journey from Wellington's CBD up to the top of the Botanic Gardens. Then check out the museum and learn about the history of cable cars.
• Old St Paul's: Visit this wonderful Anglican Church that was built in 1865. Remember to look at the wooden structure and stained glass windows from the inside.
• New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is a great place to listen to some amazing classical music.
• Archives New Zealand houses a collection of New Zealand heritage documents.
• Wellington's Waterfront: Stroll along the coast and watch the boats go by.
• Wellington Law School is the largest wooden building in the whole southern hemisphere.
• Westpac Stadium is the place to catch a football, cricket or rugby game, depending on the time of year.
• Wellington Zoo: Spend a day looking at the animals at this wonderful zoo. Open: 9:30 am to 5 pm everyday except Christmas. Admission: Adult; $15, Children 3 to 16; $7.50, Under 3 free, there are also concessions and group deals. Address: 200 Daniell Street, Newton, Wellington.
• Karori Sanctuary: A few minutes outside Wellington is this sanctuary, which seeks to provide a realistic image of what life in New Zealand was like before human settlement.
• Botanic Gardens: Rising on the west above Lambton Quarter are the Botanic Gardens, 25 hectares of native flora overlooking the city and harbour. You can walk to it, catch the cable car from Cable Car Lane, or take bus 3.
• New Zealand Parliament Tour: Free, daily tours of the Parliament buildings, lasting around one hour. Try to book ahead.

Events and Festivals

Wellington regularly has sporting, theatre, music and dance events, so be sure to check this website to find out what's on while you're there.

Some of the notable festivals to keep an eye out for:

• Summer City Festival Wellington 09 runs from December 31 through to mid-March, featuring live music, sports events and much more.
• Cuba Street Carnival will be held on February 21, 2009. It features live music, street performers, art installations and a popular illuminated night parade.
• Fringe Festival 2009 will run from February 6 to March 1. Sample the best of New Zealand art, dance, theatre, music and comedy.
• NZI Sevens is a two-day festival at Westpac Stadium in which 16 international rugby teams battle it out. In 2009, it will be held on February 6 and 7.
• New Zealand Beer Festival is pretty self-explanatory. If you enjoy a pint or two, and want to sample some fine homegrown and overseas drops, come along on February 28.
• Capital E! is a two-week arts festival for kids held from March 7 to March 21.
• Vodafone Homegrown: Enjoy New Zealand's best bands and DJs, performing on March 14 along the waterfront.

Weather

Wellington is a windy city with a year-round temperate climate. Summer days average around 20º C, while winter dips to around 10º C. The city gets about 50 inches of precipitation a year, with higher rainfall in winter.

Getting There

By Plane

Wellington International Airport is a small airport, but there are several international flights as well as a growing number of domestic flights. Air New Zealand flies to Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney, Nadi (Fiji). Air Nelson flies to Nelson, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Hamilton, Napier, Rotorua, Westport and Invercargill. Eagle Airways flies to Whangarei, Whakatane, Gisborne, Taupo, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Nelson, Blenheim, Westport and Timaru and Mount Cook Airline flies to Hamilton, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin

Other airlines include Air2there Blenheim, Nelson, Paraparaumu, Air Chathams (Chatham Islands - Tuuta), Air West Coast (Greymouth, Westport), Capital Air (Takaka), Pacific Blue (Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch), Qantas (Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney) and Sounds Air (Kaikoura, Picton).

By Train

The Overlander travels between Wellington and Auckland daily during December to April. Off season the Overlander travels on friday, saturday and sundays.

The Capital Connection travels from Palmerston North every weekday morning and returns evenings.

Tranz Metro provides frequent daily trains from the Wairarapa and the Kapiti Coast.

By Car

Two main roads lead into Wellington from the rest of North Island. Highway number 2 leads from Wellington to Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Masterton, and continuing north to Napier. Highway 1 runs parallel to the west coast of southern North Island to Palmerston North.

If you're coming from South Island, you can drive to Picton and take your car on the ferry with you.

By Bus

There are many different long-distance bus providers which operate to and from Wellington. All are listed on the Bus and Coach Association New Zealand website. The two main nationwide bus companies are Intercity and Nakedbus.

By Boat

Interislander operates a regular ferry service between Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

Frequent trains linking the city centre to suburbs and outlying areas are provided by Tranz Metro. They are relatively cheap and convenient.

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Many of the best cafés and restaurants are centered around Cuba Street, Manners Street and Courtenay Place. Here are a few specific suggestions:

• Great India Restaurant, 141 Manners Street. Phone: (04) 384 5755. Serves excellent authentic Indian food at a reasonable price. Their naan is great.
• Goblin Café, James Smiths Corner. Phone: (04) 471 1251. A nice café at the east end of Cuba Street. This is one of the places where you can buy prepaid CafeNet cards and use wireless internet (see Keep Connected section).
• Abrakebabra, 90 Manners Street. Phone: (04) 473 3311. Middle Eastern food with home-made breads. Middle Eastern video hits play, adding that extra touch of authenticity.
• Tulsi Contemporary Indian Cuisine, 135 Cuba Street. Phone: (04) 802 4144. Another great Indian restaurant. On par with Great India Restaurant. Tulsi has a cheap lunch special.
• The Lido Cafe, 85 Victoria Street. A bustling café opposite the Wellington City Library, boasting a great range of fine loose leaf teas.

Drink

Sleep

Budget

• Nomads Capital, 118 Wakefield Street. Located just opposite the waterfront, this is a new hostel with great low prices.
• Wellywood Backpackers, 58 Tory Street. In the centre of Courtenay Quarter, just off Courtenay Place. A big hostel with good facilities and friendly staff. One of the closest hostels to the central bus depot.
• YHA Wellington City, 292 Wakefield Street (cnr Cambridge Terrace). A high quality YHA on the edge of the city centre, well within walking distance of all the main sites.

More budget options in Wellington include:

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

If you have your own computer, you can sign up with CaféNET. This allows you to buy credit (as you would on a prepaid phone) and log on at dozens of locations around the city centre. It costs $10 for a day pass, $50 for a week, or $20 for 70MB. You can pay by credit card or buy cards over the counter at these locations.

Phone

Post