Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is a harbour city nicknamed the Windy City and promotes itself as "Absolutely Positively Wellington".
Its motto "Suprema a situ", which claims site supremacy - is not without justification.
Wellington has a lot of restaurants and cafes, in fact more cafes bars and restaurants per head than New York City. Malaysian food is surprisingly popular and available in most areas.
UNDERSTAND WELLINGTON
Wellington is called the city of the wind; and you will figure out why whatever time of the year you go there. In summer the winds may be hard, but not unpleasant at all. Wellington has one of only two airports in the world where the pilot needs an extra licence to land due to the common shear winds.
Wellington is not the largest city in New Zealand but is, for its inhabitants, undisputedly the best. While there is some friendly rivalry between the major cities, it is arguably recognised that Wellington has a more interesting CBD and is not as spread out as Auckland.
Wellington has very bizarre street names, many roads in the downtown area are called 'quays' as much as they may be quarter of a mile inland, and many other roads are named after people's last names which means you end up with names such as 'Bunny Street' and 'Stout Street', like the locals, you get used to them.
Wellington is overshadowed and belittled by Auckland and Christchurch, Auckland is twice its size and is looked upon by other New Zealanders to be another place altogether so Wellington doesn't get the same tourism. Christchurch takes much of Wellington's glory as it is rapidly developing and serves as a industrial, residential and commerical hub for the whole south island, so although Wellington is significantly larger (Christchurch residents believe they are of equal size), Christchurch and Auckland create more attention than Wellington.
Despite this however, Wellington is well known for being a beautiful city which mixes a vibrant city centre with nature in such a small area. It is also renowned for being the base for Peter Jackson's recent movies, such as the Lord of the Rings series and King Kong. A lot of filming and special effects were done in the Wellington area.
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THINGS TO SEE IN WELLINGTON
Mount Victoria. The best lookout in Wellington. The full 360-degree view is a great place to see the the airport, the harbour, the CBD and the Town Belt with just a turn of the head. It takes about an hour to walk up from Courtenay Place. Many tourist buses go there but also a lot of the locals.
Wrights Hill. More views, and WWII underground tunnels which are open to the public on public holidays for a small fee.
Brooklyn Windmill. Another great place to go to get an excellent view of the city, the harbour, and Cook Strait.
Massey Memorial An interesting place to go if you want to see a large memorial in the middle of nowhere.
Frank Kitts Park. A great place to wander around, with walls to climb, inline skates, and jet ski rental.
The Wellington Cable Car, from Lambton Quay (next to the McDonalds), 04 472 2199, [2]. Open 7 days until 10pm. The easiest way to get a nice view of the city and harbour, the Cable Car runs on rails from Lambton Quay to the Botanic Garden in Kelburn every ten minutes. $2.50 one way, $4.50 return (Concession prices are available for children, students and senior citizens over 65)
Karori Cemetery is also an interesting picnic spot.
Oriental Parade. A new beach. However if you are not from somewhere really cold it is unlikely that it will be hot enough for you to be in desperate need for a swim. There is a spa pool (jacuzzi) in Freyberg Swimming pool (on Oriental Parade) which is inexpensive if you enjoy "people soup".
Te Papa. The national museum. It's worth a look if you're a museum kind of person. Free (except for the occasional special presentation). Particularly good if you have children to entertain on a rainy day.
Karori Wildlife Sanctuary . A predator proof fence encloses an old water catchment area, forming a mainland island that provides a natural haven for endangered native birds, tuatara, weta, and other indigenous flora & fauna, safe from introduced predators. It can be seen from Wrights Hill above. http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/
Plimmer's Ark. Under and in the Old Bank Arcade on the corner of Lambton Quay and Customhouse Quay - near Plimmer's Steps. A hundred years ago a Bank was built on top of a wrecked ship that had been used as a market. When they renovated the building they discovered the ship's timbers and preserved the remains in the building! Just take the escalator down through the bank vault doors.
Parliament Buildings, the Beehive (or Executive Wing), and the Parliamentary Library. The grounds of Parliament are open to the public. Known as the hill, Parliament grounds are at the foot of Molesworth and Bowen Streets, where they meet Lambton Quay.
National Library of New Zealand is on the corner of Aitken and Molesworth Streets. Across the road from the Cathedral and Parliament. The library regularly holds exhibitions.
Turnbull House on Bowen Street, just across the road from Parliament Buildings: this imposing brick mansion now seems small and out of place amongst the surrounding high-rises.
Government Buildings opposite Parliament at 15 Lambton Quay. This is the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere and the second-largest wooden building in the world. This restored wooden building is now the home to Victoria University Law School.
Old St Paul's, one block east of Parliament, was the Anglican centre for decades. Superseded by the new cathedral north of Parliament, the old one is popular for weddings and funerals.
Statues and sculptures appear in some intriguing places around town. Famous prime ministers, memorials, and works of art have all been erected in the streets of Wellington, including:
Memorial statues to two prime ministers in the grounds of Parliament as well as a bicentennial memorial to Captain Cook's 1769 discovery of New Zealand.
The Cenotaph on the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street, just outside the Parliament Grounds, is where a Dawn Memorial Service is held every ANZAC Day (25 April).
Behind Parliament, on the corner of Museum and Bowen Streets, is a small park with 3 sculptures in block.
On the corner of Lambton Quay and Stout Street, the fallen column has not come off the nearby building but is a work of art.
On Lambton Quay, opposite Cable Car Lane, the two stainless steel monoliths with pimples are actually a poem in braille!
Where Lambton Quay meets Featherston Street there is a wind mobile.
The Bucket Fountain in Cuba Mall - a real splash, for many years.
If you are at all interested in books, you should not miss the city library. Its free entry and its huge with great places to just sit and read or if you bring your laptop to connect home via one of the city's paid-for wifi networks. The library can be found in the city square, next to the information centre.
THINGS TO DO IN WELLINGTON
The Botanic Garden is a nice place to go for a picnic, or just an afternoon walk. You can take the Cable Car from Lambton Quay for a quick 5-minute trip to the top; but it is not designed to be exciting, despite being photogenic. If you're keen on walking up, take the lifts in the The James Cook Arcade (or one of several others along Lambton Quay) up to The Terrace, head south uphill until you reach Salamanca Rd. Head uphill up Salamanca Rd until you reach Victoria University. A set of stairs on the opposite side of the road to the Hunter Lawn goes uphill right to the top of the Gardens. If you already shelled out for a Daytripper ticket, just catch the Mairangi bus, get off at the stop after the University, and walk back along Upland Rd until you reach the Cable Car Museum.
At the top of the Gardens, there are several attractions. The Cable Car Museum has two of the old cars in semi-restored and fully-restored condition and some of the original Cable Car machinery from the system that was replaced in 1978. The Lookout has a great view day or night, and the large map next to the round tree usually has a few pamphlets with maps of the Gardens. The Carter Observatory is a stones throw from here. This is the perfect place to explore the Garden from, or wander back to the city.
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Beck's Incredible Film Festival. Incredibly strange, exploitation cinema and extra low budget movies.
Festival of the Arts. February/March every two years. Next festival is 2006
Comedy Festival.
Fringe Festival.
Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Dive the frigate Wellington (F69). Probably the world's most accessible dive wreck. Just a few kilometers around the coast from Wellington International Airport. Sunk on 13 November 2005 in 23 to 26 meters of water off Island Bay on Wellington's south coast. The wreck lies about 600 meters southeast of Taputeranga Island (the island of Island Bay) at 41° 21'.270 S., 174° 46'.770 E.
NIGHT LIFE IN WELLINGTON
Wellington has a bustling nightlife, concentrated along Courtenay Place, one of the major streets running from the CBD. It runs through Te Aro and ends in Mt Victoria (Interestingly, the nightlife along this strip causes this street to have the highest population density in all of New Zealand on Friday and Saturday nights).
In most establishments, drinks are remarkably affordable (~NZ$6), and cover charges are either nonexistant or minimal. In some of the better clubs reasonable dress standards apply, however in the day the mood is usually extremely causal, with even barefeet occasionally accepted (a common kiwi choice on hotter days)
Away from Courtenay Place in the CBD district (Lambton Quay) there are many after work bars frequented by office workers, however this area becomes deserted in the later hours, and thus these establishments usually do not provide all night partying.
Some of the popular bars on Courtenay Place include Shooters, Coyotes, Establishment, Kitty O'Sheas, and many more. Cuba Mall also features some cool and more alternative bars, including Good Luck Bar and The Matterhorn.
For more information on Wellington, visit the source at
Destination: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
UNDERSTAND WELLINGTON
