Holiday Destination: Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and second most populous urban area of New Zealand after Auckland. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The urban area includes four cities Wellington, on the peninsula between Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour, contains the central business district and about half of Wellington's population Porirua on Porirua Harbour to the north is notable for its large Māori and Pacific Island communities Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt are largely suburban areas to the northeast, together known as the Hutt Valley. Wellington also holds the distinction of being the world's southernmost capital city. In 2008, Wellington was classified as a Gamma World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University. The 2010 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington 12th in the world. In 2011 Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011 named Wellington as fourth in its Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2011, referring to the New Zealand capital as the coolest little capital in the world.

Climate

Summer 20.3 °C (68.5 °F), Winter 6.3 °C (43.3 °F)

Tourist Season

Round the Year's is the best for visiting Wellington.

Accommodation

Hotels and Apartments.

General Information Of Wellington

• Land Area: 171 sq mi (444 km2)
• Population: 3 Lakh.
• Capital City: Wellington.
• Language: English and Maori.

Tourist Attraction in or Near by Wellington

Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place 'Te Papa Tongarewa' is broadly translatable as 'the place of treasures of this land'. The museum's principles incorporate the concepts of unified collections the narratives of culture and place the idea of forumthe bicultural partnership between Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti and an emphasis on diversity and multidisciplinary collaboration. Halfway through the 1930s the museum moved to a new building in Buckle Street, where the National Art Gallery of New Zealand was also housed.

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

Zealandia, formerly known as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand, where the biodiversity of 225 ha of forest is being restored. The sanctuary was previously part of the water catchment area for Wellington, between Wrights Hill and the Brooklyn wind turbine on Polhill. Most of New Zealand's ecosystems have been severely modified by the introduction of land mammals that were not present during the evolution of its ecosystems, and have had a devastating impact on both native flora and fauna. The sanctuary, surrounded by a pest exclusion fence, is a good example of an ecological island, which allows the natural ecosystems to thrive by minimising those introduced pressures.

City Gallery Wellington

The City Gallery Wellington is an art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. The gallery was first opened in 1980 in a different building. Located in Civic Square, the Gallery is recognised as pivotal to Wellington’s positioning and growth as New Zealand’s arts capital, City Gallery Wellington plays a unique role in the New Zealand's cultural landscape. City Gallery mounts a changing programme of exhibitions and does not have a collection. City Gallery Wellington re opened in September 2009 after a year's closure for renovations. Three new gallery spaces were added, including one devoted to the exhibition of Maori and Pacific art, plus a new auditorium.

Parliament Buildings

The New Zealand Parliament Buildings house the Parliament of New Zealand and are on a 45,000 square metre site at the northern end of Lambton Quay, Wellington. They consist of Parliament House, the Executive Wing, the Parliamentary Library and Bowen House. The main building of the complex is Parliament House, containing the Debating Chamber, Speaker's Office, Visitors' Centre and committee rooms.

Wellington Cable Car

The Wellington Cable Car is a funicular railway in Wellington, New Zealand between Lambton Quay, the main shopping street, and Kelburn, a suburb in the hills overlooking the central city, rising 120 m over a length of 612 m. It is widely recognised as a symbol of Wellington. The line consists of 628 metres of mostly straight 1,000 mm gauge single track with pine sleepers. The only curves are at the passing loop in the middle, at Talavera station. Except for the lowest part the line rises at a constant grade of 1 in 5.06, through three tunnels and over three bridges.

Wellington Zoo

Wellington Zoo is nestled in the green belt of Wellington, New Zealand. Now over 100 years old, it was the country’s first Zoo and has 13 hecdedicated to over 100 different species of fauna from across the globe. Wellington Zoo is a significant contributor to conservation efforts including breeding programs for endangered species such as the Sun Bear and Sumatran tiger, as well as spreading conservation and sustainability messages to the wider community.

Cuba Street

Cuba Street is one of the most prominent streets in Wellington, New Zealand. It is one of the more bohemian areas of Wellington, and is the home to an eclectic collection of cafes, op shops, boutique, small fashion stores, art galleries, and music shops. It is the centre of one of the four 'quarters' of downtown Wellington, the Cuba Quarter. The northern end is more commercial, with an abundance of retail stores, cafes and restaurants. While the southern end is more sparsely occupied but has seen a revival in recent years. In the mid 70's to early 80's, 'Mid Cuba' or Vivian Street was Wellington's notorious Red light district, where prostitutes would loiter, strip clubs, peep shows and gay bars sat side by side.

Wellington Botanic Garden

The Wellington Botanic Garden, Wellington, New Zealand, covers 25 hectares of land on the side of the hill between Thorndon and Kelburn, near central Wellington. The garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant collections and seasonal displays. They also feature a variety of non native species, including an extensive Rose Garden. They are classified as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. The Wellington Cable Car runs between Lambton Quay and the top of the Botanic Garden, and it is the most direct way to get from the top part of the garden to Wellington's Central Business District. The winding hill paths of the Garden are a popular spot for Wellington residents. It is used for walking, jogging and taking children to the playground, and tourists enjoy meandering through the Garden's many collections via the downhill path to the city.

Mount Victoria

Mount Victoria, locally abbreviated to Mt. Vic, is a prominent hill to the east of the centre of Wellington, New Zealand, and its associated suburb. To the south of it is a spur, Mount Albert, and the two are linked by a ridge. Mount Victoria's original Māori name is Tangi Te Keo. The suburb of Mount Victoria is a mixture of residential and commercial activity on the western flank of the ridge above the southern end of the Wellington CBD, Te Aro. Adjoining suburbs, almost entirely residential, are Oriental Bay, Roseneath and Hataitai. Government House, the home of New Zealand's Governor General, lies on the slopes of Mount Victoria to the south of the Basin Reserve, between Mount Victoria and Newtown. Behind it is Wellington Hospital. The distinctive Byzantine-style domed Greek Orthodox Cathedral is on Mount Victoria's western flank, St Gerard's Church and Monastery is on its north western flank, while the Basin Reserve sports stadium and National War Memorial lie near its foot.

Frank Kitts Park

Frank was the longest serving Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand, having held the post from 1956 to 1974. He was the Labour Member of Parliament for Wellington Central from 1954 to 1960, when he was defeated by the National candidate Dan Riddiford. Kitts was on the Wellington City Council from 1950 to 1956, when he became Mayor. In 1950 the Labour Party had no obvious mayoral candidate, and Labour councillor Gerald O'Brien suggested to Kitts, then a civil servant in the Government Stores Board, that he should stand. Kitts was the highest polling councillor, although he did not win the mayoralty until 1956. Like Norman Kirk, also from Waimate, he was a big man, using his imposing six foot two inch, 17 stone frame to overshadow his opponents.

Lambton Quay

Lambton Quay is the heart of the central business district of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Originally, as the name implies, it was the high water line of the foreshore, and sometimes the sea would roll across the road and enter the shops on the opposite side. It was the site of the original settlement in 1840, which grew into Wellington. Land uplift caused by the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake and further reclamation have left the street some 250 metres from the current shoreline. Lambton Quay is named after John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, the first chairman of directors of the New Zealand Company. Lambton Quay and neighbouring Willis Street form what is known locally as the Golden Mile. Much of the city's retail trade is now centred a little further south around Manners Street and Cuba Street, but Lambton Quay remains a major commercial thoroughfare. It is also of administrative significance, with the New Zealand Parliament Buildings towards the northern end. The Wellington cenotaph is also located at this end, next to Parliament.

Accessibility

Bus Terminal in or Near by

Metlink

142 Wakefield Street
Te Aro 6011
Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington Station

Pipitea
Wellington, New Zealand

Simla Crescent Station (bus stop)

Khandallah Road
Wellington, New Zealand

Kenya Street at Crofton Road

Abbott Road
Wellington, New Zealand

Airport

Wellington International Airport: For International flights.

Railway Stations

Wellington Station

Pipitea
Wellington, New Zealand

Ngaio Station

Ngaio
Wellington, New Zealand

Crofton Downs Station

Crofton Downs
Wellington, New Zealand