Wellington, New Zealand Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wellington_panorama_cropped.jpg Author: Ben Arnold
Wellington is the capital as well as third biggest city in New Zealand. It is located on the southern tip of North Island overlooking Cook Strait towards South Island. On a clear day, you can see the Kaikoura Ranges across the strait. The metropolitan area of Wellington comprises Wellington City, Porirua City, Lower Hutt City and Upper Hutt City.
New Zealand Parliament Buildings comprising Parliament House on the right and The Beehive on the left Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NZParliamentbuildings.JPG Author: Partyzane
Wellington was named after Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington of the Battle of Waterloo. It took over from Auckland the role of capital in 1865, as its location was deemed more appropriate as the capital.
Wellington enjoys a temperate marine climate, with temperatures usually staying within a band from 4°C to 25°C. January and February are the warmest months, when average high reaches 20.3°C (69°F) while July is the coldest month, with average low of 6.3°C (43°F). June is the wettest month followed by July, with precipitation of over 136 mm (5.35 inches). February is the driest month, with precipitation of just 62 mm (2.44 inches).
Wellington Cable Car Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wellington_NZ-cablecar-topview.jpg Author: Brett Taylor
Going to Wellington
The Wellington International Airport is located in Rongotai, about 5 km from downtown, between the Miramar peninsula and Mount Victoria.
From the airport, you can take the Airport Flyer Bus to Wellington City. The fare is NZ$8.00 per adult. You enjoy a 20% discount when you pay using the Snapper electronic ticketing card. (I'll explain what's Snapper in the "Getting around" section.)
Art Ferns & Civic Square, Wellington Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Art_Ferns_%26_Civic_Square.JPG Author: Donaldytong
Getting around in Wellington
There are two main bus operators in Wellington: GO Wellington and Valley Flyer. Of the two, GO Wellington it the older and bigger company, tracing its history to 1904. Valley Flyer is the other bus operator. Both belong to the same parent, Infratil. When taking these buses, you can pay using the Snapper Card.
Snapper is a contactless stored-value smart card available from retailers throughout Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
Nave of Old St Paul's, Wellington Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_saint_pauls_2.jpg Author: Dean S. Pemberton
Places of Interest in Wellington
Carter Observatory National observatory located within the Wellington Botanic Gardens.
Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Birthplace and childhool home of the most famous New Zealand author.
Lambton Quay The main shopping street in Wellington lined with arcades, plazas and elevated walkways.
New Zealand Parliament Buildings A complex of three main buildings at the northern end of Lambton Quay.
Old Government Buildings Largest wooden buildings in the southern hemisphere and one of the largest such buildings in the world.
Old St Paul's Former cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Wellington. built in the early English Gothic style.
Victoria University Fourth largest university in New Zealand, located in Kelburn overlooking downtown Wellington.
Wellington Botanic Gardens Gardens established in 1868 renowned for its massed displays of tulips in spring and early summer.
Wellington Cable Car Cable cars that first operated in 1902, and powered by electricity since 1933.
Wellington Cathedral of St Paul Cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Wellington.
Sights on the Harbourfront
City Gallery Gallery in an Art Deco building at Civic Square.
Civic Square Paved courtyard featuring a number of sculptures.
Courtenay Place Nighttime entertainment precinct of Wellington.
Michael Fowler Centre Concert hall and convention centre named after a former mayor of Wellington.
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa One of the largest national museums in the world.
Museum of Wellington City and Sea Museum chronicling the city's harbour and maritime history.
Town Hall 1904 Edwardian building with Roman-style portico.
Wellington Sculpture A ball hanging in mid air above Civic Square.
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
Go Back
Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand Parliament Buildings comprising Parliament House on the right and The Beehive on the left
Wellington Cable Car
Art Ferns & Civic Square, Wellington
Nave of Old St Paul's, Wellington
