Getting There By Air:Wellington International Airport Tel: (04) 385 5100.
Website:
www.wellington-airport.co.nz The airport is located 8km (5 miles) southeast of Wellington, a 10-15 minute drive from the city center. It is a busy airport (the busiest in New Zealand for domestic scheduled flights in fact) with regular trans-Tasman flights.
Airport facilities: ATMs, bureau de change, mobile phone hire, information desk, several restaurants and
cafes, duty free, shops and left luggage service. Car hire is available from
Avis,
Budget,
Hertz and
Thrifty.
Business facilities: The
Wellington Airport Conference Center (tel: (04) 385 5199) consists of seven rooms, which may be hired and can accommodate up to 120 delegates. Audiovisual equipment, technical support, videoconferencing and catering are available, as well as office equipment, including photocopying and fax facilities. Booking is available online, via the airport’s website. There are a number of airline lounges for business-class passengers and club members.
Transport to the city: Stagecoach Flyer runs a bus service between the airport, Wellington and Hutt Valley. Details are available from Ridewell Service Center (tel: (04) 801 7000). A door-to-door shuttle service is also available from
AP Shuttles (tel: (04) 477 5059),
Safeway Taxis (tel: (04) 802 5111),
Shuttle Express (tel: (04) 477 5700) and
Super Shuttle (tel: 0800 727 747). Taxis are also available. A taxi fare should cost around NZ$20.
Getting There By Road:New Zealand is an ideal country to explore in a car. Traffic is not heavy and the scenery is spectacular. Driving in New Zealand is easy, inexpensive and although Wellington is one of the busiest areas, in terms of traffic, by European standards, it is still relatively quiet. Nearly all roads are State Highways, designated by ‘SH’ and a number. Small numbers refer to the major routes between destinations (such as SH1 from Auckland to Wellington) while larger numbers indicate smaller roads linking smaller destinations (such as SH94 from Te Anau to Milford Sound). All other roads, of which there are a few, are known, although not officially, as ‘B’ roads. These are often little more than ribbons of tarmac or, on some occasions, ‘metalled’ roads, where the surface is made of loose chippings.
A valid national driving license is all that is required for driving in New Zealand, for up to 12 months. The legal driving age is 18 years. Insurance is not mandatory but is recommended. Traffic drives on the left and most roads are quiet. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08% (0.03% for drivers under 20 years). Speed limits are 100kph (62mph) on open roads, 50kph (31mph) in urban areas and 20kph (12mph) in the vicinity of schools and stopped school buses. There are ‘Limited Speed Zones’ where the speed limit is often reduced from 100kph (62mph) to 50kph (31mph) in adverse conditions.
The
New Zealand Automobile Association (website:
www.aa.co.nz) provides information on road conditions (tel: 0900 33222) and general information (tel: 0800 500 222) and have a reciprocal agreement with the British
AA, whereby visiting drivers can get maps for free.
Emergency breakdown service: NZ AA 0800 500 222 (or just 222 if calling from a mobile)
Routes to the city: The two main roads into the city are SH1 down the Kapiti coast from the north, and SH2 through the Hutt Valley to the east.
Parking can be a problem in Wellington and traffic can be heavy during the week.
Coach services: InterCity Coachline Service (tel: (04) 385 0520
or 0800 468 372; website:
www.intercitycoach.co.nz) runs throughout New Zealand. Discounts are available for Youth Hostel members and VIP cardholders. Backpackers also use the
Kiwi Experience (tel: (09) 366 9830; website:
www.kiwiexperience.com) and the
Magic Bus (tel: (09) 358 5600; website:
www.magicbus.co.nz) which sell a variety of passes including accommodation in hostels.
Driving time to Wellington: from Auckland - 9 hours, 15 minutes; from Rotorua - 6 hours, 30 minutes; from Napier - 5 hours; from Hamilton - 7 hours, 30 minutes; from Taupo - 5 hours, 10 minutes; from Palmerston North - 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Getting There By Rail:New Zealand’s rail service is operated by the
Tranz Scenic rail company (tel: (04) 495 0775
or 0800 872 467/TRAINS; website:
www.tranzscenic.co.nz). Trains are efficient and reasonably priced but rare, operating more as a tourist service than a business or commuter network.
Rail services: There is a range of Tranz Scenic rail routes from all major New Zealand cities, including the daily
Overlander service to Auckland, as well as an overnight service from Sunday to Friday (journey time - approximately 11 hours).
Getting Around:
Public TransportThe Greater Wellington Regional Council’s operates a good network of
buses, running roughly 0700-2300.
Metlink (tel: 0800 801 700; website:
www.metlink.org.nz) can provide information on routes and timetables. The
City Circular (website:
www.stagecoach.co.nz/citycircular) is a bright yellow bus taking in the top stops of the city every 15 minutes from 1000-1645. Ideal for visitors, it operates daily.
Stagecoach Wellington (website:
www.stagecoach.co.nz) operates most bus services to suburban areas. Several
passes are available, including the StarPass, the Daytripper Pass, the Metlink Explorer Pass and the Discovery Pass. A
cable car runs operates from Lambton Quay up to the Botanic Garden. It runs daily (see
Key Attractions for further information).
TaxisThere are several taxi stands throughout the city.
Black & Gold Taxis (tel: (04) 388 8888) and
Wellington Combined Taxis (tel: (04) 384 4444; website:
www.taxis.co.nz) are both reputable companies.
Car HireCar rental companies in downtown Wellington include:
Avis (tel: (04) 801 8108; website:
www.avis.com),
Budget (tel: (04) 802 4548; website:
www.budget.co.nz),
Hertz (tel: (04) 384 3809; website:
www.hertz.co.nz). All, plus
Thrifty (tel: (04) 388 9494
or 0800 737 070; website:
www.thrifty.co.nz) also have desks at the airport and at the ferry terminal.
Bicycle HirePenny Farthing Cycle Shop, 89 Courtenay Place (tel: (04) 385 2279; website:
www.pennyfarthing.co.nz) hires out bikes (including mountain bikes) for the day or longer. So do
Pins Cycles on the corner of Willis and Boulcott streets (tel: (04) 472 4591) and
Mud Cycles, 338 Karori Road (tel: (04) 476 4961).
Exploring hilly Wellington by scooter is less taxing, however, than by bike.
Scootour, 70 Abel Smith Street Te Aro (tel: (04) 384 7679; website:
www.scootour.co.nz) hire scooters and mopeds, and all you need is a car driving license.
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Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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