New Zealand

Bound by its magnificent harbour, with wooden Victorian buildings terraced up steep hills, New Zealand's capital is home to its parliament and national treasures. Spectacular views, challenging walks, a thriving cafe and entertainment scene, and serious dedication to the arts make Wellington an enormously enjoyable place in which to spend a few days.

Before the 20th century

Maori legend has it that the explorer Kupe was the first person to discover Wellington harbour.

The original Maori name was Te Whanga-Nui-a-Tara, Tara being the son of a Maori chief named Whatonga who had settled on the Hawkes Bay coast. Whatonga sent Tara and his half-brother to explore the southern part of the North Island. When they returned over a year later, their reports were so favourable that Whatonga's followers moved there, founding the Ngati Tara tribe.

The first European settlers arrived in the New Zealand Company's ship Aurora on 22 January 1840, not long after Colonel William Wakefield arrived to buy land from the Maoris. The idea was to build two cities: one would be a commercial centre by the harbour (Port Nicholson) and the other, further north, would be the agricultural hub.

However, the Maoris denied they had sold the land at Port Nicholson, or Poneke, as they called it. As it was founded on hasty and illegal buying by the NZ Company, land rights struggles followed, which were to plague the country for years, and still affect it today.

Wellington began as a settlement with very little flat land. Originally the waterfront was along Lambton Quay, but reclamation of parts of the harbour began in 1852 and it has continued ever since.

In the 1850s Wellington was a thriving settlement of around 5000 people. In 1855 an earthquake razed part of Hutt Rd and the area from Te Aro flat to the Basin Reserve, which initiated the first major reclamation.

In 1865 the seat of government was moved from Auckland to Wellington, due to its central location in the country.

Modern history

Throughout the twentieth century, Wellington quietly got on with the job of consolidating itself as the nation's political and cultural core. As its gravity increased, formerly independent boroughs (including Melrose, Onslow and Miramar) were incorporated into the growing conurbation. While the devastating earthquakes of the 19th century were mercifully absent, the 20th century wasn't devoid of tragedy. One blustery day back in 1968 the wind blew so hard it pushed the almost-new Wellington-Christchurch ferry Wahine onto Barrett's Reef just outside the harbour entrance. The disabled ship later broke loose from the reef, drifted into the harbour and slowly sank, causing the loss of 51 lives. The Museum of Wellington City & Sea has detailed information on this tragedy.

Recent history

In recent times Wellington has stamped its place on the world map as a dynamic creative centre and the home of NZ's growing film industry. A confident, relaxed little town, it may be the only national capital in the world where you'll see signs warning drivers to be aware of penguins on inner-city roads.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

November to April are the warmer months and the best time to visit; average maximum temperatures during this time hover around 20°C (68°F). During the colder, wetter months, May to August, the daily temperature lurks around 12°C (54°F).

Wellington is renowned for being windy - the city's maritime climate catches the blustery, persistent and often chilly winds that whistle through the Cook Strait.

Average weather

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• Rainfall

Transport

Getting around

The Stagecoach Flyer (tel: 0800 801 700; www.stagecoach.co.nz/flyer) is a local bus running between the airport, Wellington city and Lower Hutt, calling at major stops.

Wellington has an efficient local bus system. Stagecoach (tel: 0800 801 700; www.stagecoach.co.nz/wellington), has frequent services from 07:00-23:30 on most routes. Most depart from the Lambton Quay interchange (beside the train station) and from the major bus stop on Courtenay Place at the intersection with Cambridge Terrace.

The City Circular (10:00-16:45) is the name given to the distinctive bright yellow buses that take in Wellington's prime inner-city locations, making it handy for travellers wishing to see the major sights. These buses loop the city every 15 minutes. The After Midnight Bus Service (tel: 0800 801 700) has buses departing from the central entertainment district (Courtenay Pl or Cuba St) until 03:00 Saturday and Sunday to a number of outer suburbs.

As well as the major car-hire companies, Wellington has a number of operators that will negotiate cheap deals, including Ace Rental Cars (tel: 0800 535 500; www.acerentalcars.co.nz), Apex Car Rental (tel: 0800 939 597; www.apexrentals.co.nz) and Omega Rental Cars (tel: 0800 667 722; www.omegarentals.com).

Taxi companies include Wellington Combined Taxis (tel: 0800 384 4444) and Wellington City Cabs (tel: 0800 388 8000).

Tranz Metro (tel: 0800 801 700; www.tranzmetro.co.nz) operates five suburban train routes. Trains run frequently from 06:00- 24:00, departing from Wellington train station.

Getting there and away

From Wellington airport (tel: 04 385 5100; www.wellington-airport.co.nz), Air New Zealand (tel: 0800 737 000; www.airnz.co.nz) offer direct domestic flights between Wellington and most major centres, including Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Rotorua and Quuenstown. Qantas (tel: 0800 808 767; www.qantas.co.nz; 2 Hunter St) also runs connections to/from Wellington to Auckland and Christchurch. Origin Pacific (tel: 0800 302 302; www.originpacific.co.nz) connects Wellington with Blenheim, Nelson and Christchurch and Soundsair (tel: 0800 505 005; www.soundsair.co.nz) runs services between Wellington and Picton, Kaikoura and Nelson via Blenheim. Holders of backpacker and student cards may be eligible for discounts.

There are two ferry companies running regular services across the strait between Wellington and Picton on the South Island, Bluebridge Ferries (tel: 0800 844 844; www.bluebridge.co.nz) and Interislander (tel: 0800 802 802; www.interislandler.co.nz. The crossing takes around three hours and you can take a car, motorbike, surfboard or bicycle across with you for an extra cost. Note that the Lynx high-speed catamaran ceased operating in April 2005.

Wellington is an important junction for bus travel, with buses north to Auckland and all major towns in between. InterCity (tel: 04 385 0520; www.intercitycoach.co.nz) and Newmans (tel: 04 385 0521; www.newmanscoach.co.nz) buses depart from Platform 9 at the train station. Tickets are sold at the travel centre in the train station. Kiwi Traveller (tel: 0800 500 100; www.kiwitraveller.co.nz) operates a daily service through the heart of the North Island, from Wellington north to Palmerston North (2.25hr), National Park (5.5hr), Taupo (7hr) and Rotorua (8hr).

Wellington train station has a travel centre (tel: 04 498 3000, ext 44324) that books and sells tickets for Tranz Scenic trains, Intercity buses, Interislander ferries, tours and more. Long-distance services operated by Tranz Scenic (tel: 0800 872 467; www.tranzscenic.co.nz) include the Overlander operating daily between Wellington and Auckland (12hr) and the Capital Connection, primarily a commuter service between Wellington and Palmerston North (2hr).

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Avoid leaving valuables in a vehicle no matter where it's parked - the worst places to tempt fate are tourist parking areas and the car parks at the start of walks. While crime isn't a huge problem in Wellington it always pays to take sensible precautions; don't leave your valuables lying around.

Don't underestimate the risks posed by NZ's unpredictable, ever-changing climate in high-altitude areas if you leave Wellington to go tramping. Make sure you let people know if you are going on overnight or longer walks, plan carefully and bring plenty of water.

The North Island's byways are often made hazardous by speeding locals, wide-cornering campervans and traffic-ignorant sheep. For a safer trip onward from Wellington, set yourself a reasonable itinerary instead of careering around the country at top speed, and try to stay alert on the road despite the distractingly beautiful scenery.