Wellington

Wellington

Nearby

Kapiti Coast

Wellington: Understand

City Population ~ 200,000

“Windy Wellington” is the capital city and sits at the bottom of the North Island. Many tourists catch the interislander ferry from here heading south to Picton.

It’s a super-trendy and bustling city with an amazing set of cafés and restaurants. The CBD is compact enough to explore on foot. The wider Wellington region also includes safe sandy swimming beaches through to secluded and wild rocky coastlines.

The Wellington café standard is high
Wellington waterfront

Wellington: Getting In & Out

By plane:

Wellington International Airport is the second-largest after Auckland Airport, and sits 6km from the city centre.

They operate 70+ flights per week to Australia, Fiji, and Singapore and fly to 20 domestic locations including multiple flights per day to Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown.

Getting between the airport and city centre…

Take the Airport City Flyer (Bus 91) which leaves every 20mins and goes through the CBD and on to the Hutt Valley. Travelling this route in reverse it’s also a convenient way to get to the airport.

A Super Shuttle (shared ride) from the airport to the CBD has prices starting from $20, and you can pre-book online at supershuttle.co.nz

Taking a taxi to the CBD (outside rush hour) will take around 15-25 minutes and cost approx $40. Uber is also an option with a special pick-up zone at Wellington Airport.

Renting a campervan or rental car is a great way to explore New Zealand with flexibility and freedom! It’s easiest to pick up/drop off rentals from the major airports in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. We recommend you book in advance. Check out our handy guides Travel New Zealand by Campervan or Travel New Zealand by Car.

By car:

State Highway 1 connects Wellington up the west coast to Porirua and the Kapiti Coast. State Highway 2 links Wellington to the Hutt Valley and the east coast of the lower north island.

By bus or train:

To get around within the Wellington region, use the Metlink trip planner which will give you the best Bus and Train options for your trip. You can buy tickets onboard these trains and buses with cash, or at major stations with credit/debit card.

To plan a bus journey connecting Wellington with other regions, take a look at the InterCity website.

The Ferry – Crossing to the South Island

You can make the 3.5-hour crossing from Wellington to Picton (or in reverse) with either the Interislander or Bluebridge.

Cafés and restaurants sell food onboard with the usual ‘on-a-boat’ price hike, so grab snacks from a supermarket beforehand.

If taking a car, you park in a queue and board when told. Once aboard there is no car access during the journey, so take snacks, sunglasses, and warm layers with you.

Wellington: See & Do

Wander along the Wellington waterfront or turn inland and find a hipster café to relax in. Cuba Street has great shopping and the locally-known bucket fountain.

Mt Victoria lookout is a great spot for sunset or views.

View from Mt Victoria

Te Papa Museum is an incredible museum experience, even if you’re not into museums (like us!). If you go to one museum in New Zealand, this is the one to go to. They change or update exhibits often, and you can access most exhibits for free!

Lord of the Rings fans will want to visit Weta Workshop to check out the props, costumes and special effects for Lord of the Rings and Thunderbirds Are Go! Transfers from CBD available as it’s located out closer to Wellington Airport in Miramar on the corner of Weka Street and Camperdown Road. From Wellington Central, you can also take bus 2 to Miramar and ask the driver when to get off for Weta Cave.

You can take the Cable Car up to the Wellington Botanic Gardens.

Oriental Bay is a nice city beach, Lyall Bay is a popular surf beach beside the airport, and it’s worth heading out to Red Rocks or at least as far as Island Bay to walk along the rocky southern coast of the North Island.

The Wellington Cable Car takes you from Cuba Street up to the Botanic Gardens

Events in the Wellington Calendar

There is never a shortage of things going on in the capital city! Be sure to take a look at “What’s on in Wellington” to see what festivals and events are on while you’re in the city!

Wellington: Eat & Drink

There are simply too many GREAT options for food and drink in Wellington city. Our favourites include:

If you can get a table, Sweet Mothers Kitchen is an absolute treat!

Visit Burger Liqour for delicious burgers, drinks, fries, tacos, and shakes.

Grab a bagel at Best Ugly Bagels or lunch at Prefab.

Head out for a romantic dinner out the back of Olive Restaurant, or Flying Burrito Brothers for a less-romantic option.

For the ultimate night out do dinner at DragonFly (grab an outside table), dessert at The Little Waffle Shop across the road, then head upstairs to The Library for a cocktail!

Coffee-lovers will want to visit local roasters like Caffe L’affare, People’s Coffee, Coffee Supreme, or Havana, among many others!

Further out of the city…

Try brunch at Scorcharama, or wear the crazy hats at Chocolate Fish Café.

Head out for dinner and a movie at Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn, an old-school art-deco cinema with all the tech for a modern cinematic experience.

Out on the beach-front at Lyall Bay are two of our favourite cafés Spruce Goose and Maranui Café. Great ocean and airport views, whatever the weather!

Watch kitesurfers at Lyall Bay whenever the wind is blowing strong from the south!

Nightlife in Wellington

Every Friday and Saturday you’ll find Courtenay Place humming with many great drinking options like Establishment full of students, or Hummingbird with great live music options. You can find some alternative bars in Cuba Mall like Havana Bar.

Wellington: Sleep

As you are in the city, parking at your accommodation can be tricky.

If you’re travelling without a car and want to be in the middle of it all The Marion ($$) is a great homely hostel option. Or try Trek Global ($) for slightly cheaper pricing. With a car, you can use the PayMyPark app to use Coupon Parking zones (if you’re near Courtenay Place, then the closest will be out on Oriental Parade).

For free parking you may want to grab an AirBnB away from the city centre in Island Bay or on the Miramar Peninsula.

If you’ve got a campervan, Camp Wellington & Coastal Lodge ($) is a good option in Shelly Bay (on Miramar Peninsula). It’s a 15 – 45 minute drive from Wellington central (depending on traffic) and they have rooms available in the lodge, or sites to park your campervan.

1-Day Trips Near Wellington

Wine-lovers will love heading over to the Wairarapa district for a half-day wineries tour near Martinborough and possibly adding a visit to the great cafés in nearby Greytown.

At Staglands Wildlife Reserve you can feed and hang out with all the friendly animals and native birds! It’s less than an hours drive from Wellington in the Akatarawa Valley.

Staglands!

Porirua is closer to Wellington, with Titahi Bay and Whitireia Park nearby which are both great to explore. Hike the Skyline Walkway (between Johnsonville and Karori), or the Paekakariki Escarpment Track.

For those with a car, Makara and Miramar Peninsula coastlines are also great to explore! Further out by Porirua a great combo to visit are the cute boatsheds at Titahi Bay and the cliffs and beaches of nearby Whitireia Park.

Cute boatsheds at Titahi Bay
Just 5mins to walk from one end to the other at Titahi Bay!

Multi-Day Trips Near Wellington

Escape the city to visit the Kapiti Coast, with wide-open sandy beaches and the option of visiting the nature reserve on Kapiti Island.

Take the ferry over to Picton (3.5hrs) to experience the magic of the Marlborough Sounds.

Over in the Wairarapa region you can extend your Martinborough wineries tour with visits to Cape Palliser or Castle Point…

Cape Palliser (2.5 hour drive from Wellington) is the southernmost point of the North Island with impressive surrounds, a seal colony, and another beautiful lighthouse.

Castle Point (2.5 hour drive from Wellington) is a tiny and peaceful coastal town which makes a great getaway. Wander to the lighthouse and check out the swimming and surf beaches.

Castle Point
Castle Point

Where to next?

Nearby in WELLINGTON:

Kapiti Coast

 

Nearby Regions:

Nelson-Marlborough Manawatu/ Wanganui Taranaki Gisborne/ Hawkes Bay