Travelling Wellington
Before You Travel
Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city and one of the most picturesque. You get the most dramatic view of the city when you fly in to the airport from the north. Flying up the harbour you get a picture of a city of bush, and hills with houses perched – sometimes seemingly impossibly – on them.
Wellington is known as New Zealand’s arts and cultural capital. If you enjoy the arts this is the place to visit. Visit the galleries. Go and see the world-class New Zealand Symphony Orchestra or the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Keep and eye out for the public sculpture - there are many interesting and contemporary pieces around the city – or follow the Writers’ Walk along the waterfront.
And it’s on the waterfront that you’ll find Te Papa Tongarewa. Te Papa, as it’s colloquially known, means ‘our place’ and it presents New Zealand’s story through art and interactive display. Te Papa is a must visit.
Wellington has a vibrant café scene and some of the best restaurants in the country. It’s a city that enjoys fine food and, very much so, good coffee. Accommodation in Wellington ranges from high-class hotels and city apartments to backpacker lodges.
Wellington offers many adventurous excursions, from mountain biking to kayaking, helicopter rides to 4WD-ing.
Nestled between a sparkling harbour and rolling green hills, Wellington offers many adventurous excursions, from mountain biking to kayaking, helicopter rides to 4WD-ing. Adventure enthusiasts can also check out the regions of Kapiti Coast, Lower and Upper Hutt and Wairarapa for more options.
Explore the harbour and waterfront
- If you’re here on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday you can try sailing with Harbour Sail, or take a kayak out onto Wellington harbour with Ferg's Kayaks.
- Hire a bike or inline skates and experience Wellington’s beautiful waterfront like the locals do, making time for a delicious KaffeeEis Italian gelato.
- Snorkel for some paua to cook up or explore the sunken Frigate 69 with a scuba dive.
- Climb the indoor rock wall at Ferg’s Kayaks.
Action on wheels
- Check out Wellington’s rugged South Coast and native fur seals on a 4WD adventure with Seal Coast Safari.
- Challenge yourself with some mountain biking with Wellington Rover Tours (Mountain Bike Wellington).
- Find your way to Mud Cycles to hire a bike before experiencing Makara Peak, famous amongst mountain biking enthusiasts.
- Get a thrill with a quad biking adventure, through 100km of tracks and kilometres of private coastline with Wellington Adventure Quad Bike Expeditions.
- Get off the beaten track in style aboard CAT's Mercedes Benz Unimog for a 4WD scenic tour.
- Head up the coast to Kapiti – around one hour away – and do some quad biking with Kapiti Four x 4, then laze in the sun, enjoying one of their many beaches.
Up in the air
- Get a different view of the Wairarapawine region from a hot air balloon.
- Enjoy a scenic flight over Wellington, or an action-packed adventure Helipro.
- Take up the challenge at Adrenalin Forest - a series of rope bridges, Tarzan swings, Indiana jumps and flying foxes from platforms constructed in the tree canopy.
- More ways to get the adrenalin pumping
- Enjoy a ride through over 600 hectares of scenic farmland on a horse trek.
- Get a group together and head to Boomrock and choose from a Mercedes Benz Drive Experience, Clay Shooting, Extreme Golf, Archery, Knife throwing, and Sheep Mustering.
- Surf the waves of Lyall Bay just 15 minutes from the city centre.
- Have a game of golf with a choice of at least 10 golf courses within a 30minute drive.
- Charter a boat to do some fishing.
Wellington Tours
