Wellington, New Zealand — Where to Go
Wellington Sightseeing Overview
The Polynesian explorer Kupe is credited with the initial discovery of Wellington Harbour, which he named Te Whanganui a Tara (the Great Harbour of Tara) after his son. From Maori tradition, it is estimated he arrived with his followers around the 10th century, and people have lived here since Kupe's discovery.
The country's heritage is evident everywhere, from the many historic buildings downtown, even the Parliament Buildings themselves, to Te Papa, the national museum, one of the jewels in New Zealand's crown and one that dominates the city's skyline on the waterfront. A visit to this extraordinary place is a must for any visitor to New Zealand.
You can find several other attractions on the waterfront or nearby, including the Parliament Buildings and the Museum of Wellington City & Sea.
The hills around the harbor also have their fair share of attractions, most notably the Botanic Gardens and Katherine Mansfield's Birthplace, while further afield are the Wellington Zoo and the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Wellington Tourist Information
Wellingtoni-SITEVisitorCenter
Corner of Victoria and Wakefield Streets (Civic Square)
Tel: (04) 802 4860 or 0800 933 5363.
Website: www.wellingtonNZ.com
The Wellington Visitor Information Center offers visitors a comprehensive range of services, from information to travel bookings.
Key Attractions in Wellington, New Zealand
WellingtonWaterfront
Once the center of Wellington's bustling port, the Wellington Waterfront is one of the city's most distinctive and attractive precincts, home to many bars and restaurants, galleries and museums (including the wonderful Te Papa Tongarewa, see below).
Website: www.wellingtonwaterfront.co.nz
Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand)
Wellington's star attraction, Te Papa (affectionately known as ‘Our Place'), one of the most ambitiously eclectic museums in the world, is right on the harbor, and the perfect place to learn about the country's culture, its history and its people. Don't miss it.
55 Cable Street, Waterfront
Tel: (04) 381 7000.
Website: www.tepapa.govt.nz
WellingtonBotanicGardenandCableCar
Take the cable car from Lambton Quay and spend half a day exploring over 25 hectares (62 acres) of exotic forests, native bush, colorful floral displays and gorgeous specialist gardens of Wellington Botanic Garden. There are great views of the city from the top of the hill. Gardens are open daily sunrise to sunset.
Glenmore Street
Tel: (04) 499 1400.
Website: www.wellington.govt.nz/services/gardens (botanic garden) or www.wellingtoncablecar.co.nz (cable car)
Parliament Buildings
A visit to the capital city would not be complete without a visit to New Zealand's beautifully refurbished Parliament Buildings, in the historic suburb of Thorndon. The complex is made up of three architecturally distinctive buildings: the Edwardian neoclassical Parliament House, the Victorian gothic Parliamentary Library and the striking 1970s-style Beehive building.
Corner Lambton Quay & Molesworth Streets
Tel: (04) 817 9503.
Website: www.ps.parliament.govt.nz
Wellington Zoo
The city's zoo is the oldest in the country (it opened in 1906) and is home to over 500 animals, including meerkats, red pandas, Malayan sun bears and Sumatran tigers. African, Asian and native wildlife (tuatara, kiwi, kea among them) are all well represented.
200 Daniell Street, Newtown
Tel: (04) 381 6755.
Website: www.wellingtonzoo.com
Old St Paul's
Constructed entirely of native timber in the mid-1850s, this 19th-century gothic revival church showcases stunning wooden arches and magnificent stained-glass windows. Various memorial items and displays tell the early history of Wellington. Tours by arrangement.
34 Mulgrave Street, Thorndon
Tel: (04) 473 6722.
Website: www.historicplaces.org.nz
Further Distractions
KatherineMansfield'sBirthplace
Katherine Mansfield Beauchamp is New Zealand's most famous author and one of the world's best-known short-story writers. Visit her birthplace in Thorndon and step back into Victorian New Zealand in the late 1880s.
25 Tinakori Road, Thorndon
Tel: (04) 473 7268.
Website: www.katherinemansfield.com
NationalTattooMuseum
A look at the rich history of the ‘tattoo' or ‘ta moko', traditional and contemporary tattoo practices. Discover the spiritual, political and symbolic dimensions of body art throughout the Pacific, Asia and wider, and more recently, fashionable body adornment practices.
42 Ablesmith Street
Tel: (04) 385 6444.
Website: www.mokomuseum.org.nz
