17 Things To Do in Wellington New Zealand

The “coolest little capital in the world” is a city with more cafes and bars per capita than New York. According to Lonely Planet, Wellington is “cool with a capital C”, and after the blockbuster successes with Lord of the Rings, everyone knows Wellywood has the goods. So, if you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, Wellington is a lovely city to add to your itinerary. These are the best things to do in Wellington.

Wellington, New Zealand

17 Things To Do In Wellington

1- Ride The Wellington Cable Car

Take the Wellington Cable Car from Lambton Quay in the heart of the CBD through the Wellington Botanic Gardens to Kelburn Hill for stunning views of the capital.

This historic funicular railway has operated since 1902 and is an iconic landmark of Wellington’s landscape.

Riding the cable car is a great way to get to the Wellington Botanic Garden, where you will find a range of native New Zealand flora.

The Botanic Garden has over 26 ha of landscaping with exotic forests, native bush, colourful floral displays and gorgeous specialist gardens.

At the top of the hill, the Cable Car Museum tells the story of the Cable Car’s history through exhibits about its history, construction and the technology behind it.

The trip takes five minutes and cable cars run every 10 minutes throughout the day.

The Wellington Cable Car is at Cable Car Lane, 280 Lambton Quay. Prebook your Wellington: Return Cable Car Ticket online.

2- See NZ’s Oldest Working Telescope At Space Place

On top of a hill within the Botanic Garden, learn about the Southern Hemisphere’s stars as well as planets, galaxies and constellations through the interactive galleries at The Space Place.

The Planetarium, through its state-of-the-art digital projection system, allows you to immerse yourself in full-dome shows about space and astronomy.

Popular exhibits include the Gravity Wall, the Orrery and the Meteorite Display.

Space Place has an observatory that houses a range of telescopes, including the Thomas Cooke Telescope, built in 1867 and is the oldest working telescope in New Zealand.

Head back there after dark to join a stargazing session at the observatory.

Space Place is at 40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington 6012.

3- Explore The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, is housed in a contemporary waterfront building.

As museums go, it’s a fantastic New Zealand museum for its interactive galleries on art, history, the Pacific, Māori culture and the natural environment.

The museum’s impressive collection of over 150,000 preserved specimens of New Zealand’s flora and fauna includes a giant squid discovered off the coast of Antarctica in 2007.

The colossal squid is impressively displayed in a Te Papa Tongarewa tank filled with a special preserving solution.

It weighed over 495 kg (1,091 pounds) and was 4.2 m (13.8 feet) long, the largest specimen of this kind ever caught and preserved.

You can view the squid up close and learn about its biology and behaviour through interactive exhibits and displays.

Te Papa Tongarewa’s collection is one of the best in the world and includes everything from birds and insects to reptiles and mammals.

Te Papa Tongarewa is at 55 Cable Street, Wellington and is open from 10 am to 6 pm. Skip the line and book these tickets and tours:

• Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Guided Tour
• Museum of NZ Te Papa Tongarewa Twilight Express Tour
• Museum of NZ Te Papa Tongarewa: Gallipoli Early Entry Ticket

4- See The Meerkats At Wellington Zoo

Wellington Zoo has some pretty cool animal encounters, such as getting close to the giraffes, feeding the lions, stroking the cheetahs and playing with the meerkats.

They’re a great option if you’re visiting with kids or looking for a surprise gift, especially the meerkat experience, which is fun, interactive, and a great way to spend some time.

Wellington Zoo opened in 1906 is was the first zoo in New Zealand.

The zoo is committed to conservation efforts, both locally and internationally, through its programs dedicated to protecting endangered species and their habitats, such as the Sumatran tiger, the kiwi bird and the giraffe.

It also has some great education programs to teach visitors about the importance of conservation and animal welfare.

Wellington Zoo is at 200 Daniell Street, Newtown, Wellington 6021.

5- Head Up To Mount Victoria

Although downtown Wellington is best explored on foot, if you’re keen to explore Mount Victoria, you can hire a car, take public bus #20 or rent an e-bike.

The drive to the top of Mount Victoria follows a winding road that leads to panoramic views of the city and the harbour.

A pleasurable way to discover Wellington like a local is to get lost on the snaking back roads in Roseneath, with beautiful views at every turn.

6- Tour Weta Workshop

Most people realise that the “Lord of the Rings” movies were filmed on location in some of the most stunning landscapes of New Zealand.

What’s not so well known is that much of the production was done at the Weta Workshop in the suburb of Miramar in Wellington.

The five-time Oscar-winning visual effects studio was responsible for the stunning effects in “Lord of the Rings”, “Avatar,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.

The Weta Cave (Corner of Weka Street and Park Road, Miramar) screens a short film that will take you behind the scenes.

Movie buffs can buy books, magazines posters, figurines and limited-edition sculptures hand-crafted by the artists at Weta.

Weta Workshop is at 21 Camperdown Road, Miramar, Wellington 6022. Join the Wellington: Weta Workshop Experience and Guided Tour.

7- Discover Wellington’s Coffee Culture

If you love your coffee, Wellington is the city for you.

Start with a leg stretch down at the waterfront and a coffee at Mojo Coffee Central (Shed 13, 37 Customhouse Quay).

Wellington’s strong coffee culture makes it impossible to get a bad cup of coffee anywhere.

Wellingtonians are fussy about the brand of coffee they drink and Mojo is one of the well-known ones.

You can take a peek at the roasting process inside the beautifully restored Mojo building, which was once a working waterfront factory.

8- Go Shopping On Cuba Street

There are plenty of trendy shops on and around Cuba Street. But first, pop into Fidel’s (234 Cuba Street) for lunch and a Havana coffee fresh from the roastery around the corner.

There’s a sunny outdoor courtyard and a couple of atmospheric indoor spaces.

Look out for creative fashion at CHILI fashion, vintage watches at FiveFortyFive, stylish clothing for men and women at Ziggurat and browse for vinyl at Slow Boat Records.

Cuba Street is an easy place to spend a relaxing morning or afternoon wandering around.

9- Visit The Wellington Museum

While wandering around Cuba Street, pop into the Wellington Museum, which has some cool exhibits that tell the story of the city’s European history and culture.

The Bond Store, once used for storing goods subject to customs duties, now has interactive displays and items from the past.

The Attic houses the original clock mechanism from the old Wellington Town Hall clock tower, as well as a collection of photographs and artifacts related to the history of Wellington.

Through exhibits, you’ll learn about pivotal events in the city’s history, including the Great Strike of 1913, when a major industrial dispute affected many workers in New Zealand and the Wahine Disaster.

This exhibit tells the story of the ferry sinking in Wellington Harbour in 1968.

10- Go On A Bar Crawl

As it’s a compact city to walk around – downtown Wellington is about two kilometres from one end to the other – it’s the perfect destination for a bar crawl.

Head to Queens Wharf, where the quirky Cuckoo Cocktail Emporium (33 Queens Wharf) not only sells drinks but also has its entire collection of eclectic furniture for sale.

Foxglove Bar and Kitchen (33 Queens Wharf) is a sleek drinking hole with several small lounges ranging from one that dazzles with 1940s vintage glamour to the comfy Sitting Room with an open fireplace, overstuffed couches and ottomans.

After dinner, there’s time for a nightcap at The Library (Level 1, 53 Courtenay Place), which combines lounge bar, reading room, live music venue and dessert venue in one.

Looking for a guided tour? You may like these:

• Wellington Craft Brewery Half-Day Guided Tour with Tastings
• Wellington Cocktail Discovery Tour & 4 Cocktail Creations

11- Dine In A Fine Restaurant

Dining in the chandeliered former 1920s banking chamber of Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar (192 Cuba Street) is sure to impress.

The three-course meal ($95 a head) is well worth the price and the grand atmosphere of the former bank is a bonus.

Other restaurants in Wellington you may want to try are Shepherd, Oak & Vine Restaurant, Hippopotamus Restaurant & Cocktail Bar and Shed 5.

You may also like this Wellington: Food Tasting Walking Tour.

12- Grab A Bite At The Maranui Surf Club

On the way to the airport, grab a quick bite at the funky retro Maranui Café in the Maranui Surf Life Saving Club (The Parade, Lyall Bay).

The salads are Mediterranean-licking good and the date scones are to die for.

Did you know that Lyall Bay has one of the best beaches for surfing in New Zealand in a capital city?

The best time to surf in Wellington is in winter when there are ocean storms but summer can be pretty flat.

Maranui Surf Life Saving Club is at 107 Lyall Parade, Lyall Bay, Wellington 6022.

13- Go Wine Tasting in Martinborough

About a one-hour drive from Wellington through the stunning Remutaka Ranges, Martinborough and the Wairarapa region is a wonderful destination for visiting wineries.

Especially known for its Pinot Noir, spending a few hours or even a day exploring a few wineries will open your eyes to the quality of the region’s wine.

Winemakers are proud of using sustainable practices to preserve the land for future generations.

Popular wineries include Ata Rangi and Palliser Estate, both known for producing excellent Pinot Noir, Martinborough Vineyard, Te Kairanga and Craggy Range.

Besides wineries, Martinborough also has some fantastic restaurants and cafes offering fresh locally sourced, seasonal cuisine to pair with the region’s wines.

The Martinborough Wine and Food Festival takes place each February.

If you plan on going wine tasting, joining a guided tour will allow you to indulge without worrying about being over the limit.

This Martinborough Winery Tour will allow you to choose specific wineries by request and local guides will help you discover other delights, like C’est Cheese for locally produced cheeses.

14- See Wildlife At Zealandia

Zealandia is a nature reserve set on 225 ha of forest and lakes that protect rare and endangered wildlife, including native bird species like the little spotted kiwi, saddleback and stitchbird.

A predator-free fence keeps introduced predators like rats and stoats out of the reserve, which offers you opportunities to get up close to the wildlife.

You can join a guided tour of Zealandia Ecosanctuary or explore independently.

While walking along the reserve’s trails, you will come across viewing platforms, hides and bird feeders allowing you to see and learn about the native species in their natural habitat.

Zealandia has a rich cultural and historical significance, dating back to the time of the Maori settlement.

The reserve offers a range of educational programs and displays that provide insights into the Maori culture and the area’s natural history.

15- Enjoy A Scenic Flight

See Wellington from the sky on a thrilling scenic flight over the city.

The nine-minute helicopter flight offers a birds-eye view of the city where landmarks like the Te Papa Museum, the Beehive and the Cake Tin will stand out.

On clear days, you might see Marlborough Sound and the South Island. Reserve your seat here.

16- Visit The New Zealand Parliament

A symbol of the country’s democracy and history, the New Zealand Parliament building has a distinctive Beehive-like structure that was futuristic when it was built in 1979.

It’s the place to go in Wellington to learn about the country’s political system and it houses the offices of the Prime Minister.

The building and gardens are open to the public.

Join a guided tour that will take you to some areas, including the debating chamber and committee rooms, then wander around the Parliamentary Rose Garden and the Katherine Mansfield Garden, named after the famous New Zealand author.

17- Remutaka Rail Trail Cycle Tour

Discover the rich rail history of the Remutaka Range on a cycling tour from Wellington.

You’ll cycle across bridges and through tunnels and discover secrets about the construction of the local railway system.

The trail joins Petone in Wellington with Orongorongo on the southwest coast and although the full trail is 115km long, most people ride it in sections.

Options include starting in Wellington, driving to Kaitoke for an easier 18 to 28-km ride, or heading to Maymorn for a challenging 25 to 35-km adventure. 

Need a New Zealand SIM? Order one online here.

For more things to do in New Zealand, read: