New Zealand’s capital city is not your regular urban jungle. Wellington has a population of a little over 412,000 and is one of the most beautiful cities you will ever visit if you are on a world tour. Wellington is located near to the centre of New Zealand so it is easily accessible from any point. For example, you can book bus charter in Tauranga or Auckland and you will be there in less than 10 hours.
Wellington is New Zealand’s second highest populated city. It is also, the windiest city in the world. That is probably something that should make you want to visit the place. Take a look at some of the most attractive and popular tourist destinations in the city for thrill seekers and remember to rely on Wellington bus hire for your travel group.
Cable Car Leading To The Kelburn Lookout
Wellington’s cable car ride from Lambton Quay terminal is a city antique. It has been around since 1912. If a peaceful and easy ride through a heavenly backdrop is your thing, you must take the cable car journey. The cable car ride up to the Kelburn Lookout is an ideal opportunity for photographers.
You get various angles at the city’s panorama from the Kelburn Lookout. You surely won’t want to come back from Kelburn Lookout. To add to the thrill, there is a little museum at Kelburn’s cable car terminal, which has the ancient cable car on display.
Te Papa Tongarewa (New Zealand Museum)
The Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand’s most admired museum. It preserves the natural history of the country. At the New Zealand Museum, you will get to learn a lot about the Maori people, the original settlers of New Zealand. You will get to know about the Europeans as well. You will basically know everything about how New Zealand came into being, from this museum.
The Te Papa has an Earthquake House where you can experience a virtual earthquake ride. If you are looking for something different than that, you can always check out the 11 art galleries at the Arts Te Papa. The collection focuses on the works of the Pacific Island. Last but not the least, don’t forget the Mana Whenua exhibition to get to the roots of New Zealand’s Maori history.
The Beehive
The Beehive is the most popular building in Wellington. It often represents the city as a whole. This parliament house was designed by Sir Basil Spence sometime during the late 60’s and 70’s. The Beehive is a structure that many people are fascinated by and others cringe, whichever category of people you come under, you sure cannot ignore the building.
The 1907 Parliament House right next to it is a much saner structure style-wise. This Neoclassical Edwardian styled structure is where you will find The Chamber. You can visit The Beehive and if you make it by 10 in the morning, you will have enough time to take a full tour of all the Parliament buildings and get to know about the political history of New Zealand as a whole.
The parliament gardens of Molesworth Street are open to the public and is something you shouldn’t miss out on while checking out all the parliament buildings.
Wellington Botanic Gardens
The Botanic Gardens on Glenmore Street cover an area of 25 hectares of hillside. You will be spellbound by the variety of flora and fauna you find in the vast gardens. You can follow the walking tracks to get to the conifer forest, the ferns, and the seasonal flowers. If you love roses, you must take your time admiring all the 110 rose beds proudly sitting in the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens.
If you want something more exciting than just watching flowers and trees, go to the Carter Observatory at the east of the Gardens to catch the planetarium show. This is also where you can see the Kelburn’s cable car terminal from. If you love tropical flowers, be sure to visit the Begonia House section.
Katherine Mansfield House
25, Tinakori Road, Wellington. This is the iconic address of Thorndon’s suburban pride, the childhood home of Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand’s most popular author. The house has been reinvented to represent its original form as known when the influential modernist fiction writer used to live there.
Though Mansfield spent a lot of her life in London, this Thorndon house has kept the essence of the author’s childhood intact. If you love Mansfield’s works, looking at the personal belongings, and the furniture, and the late 19th Century house itself, where she was born and brought up, will give you the chills.
Wellington City Gallery
The Wellington City Gallery is located in the heritage library building in Civic Square. It is now one of the most iconic contemporary art galleries in the country. There is always some new exhibition, talk sessions, photography and painting events, and live performances being held, all throughout the year. So no matter what time of the year you visit, you will find something happening and inspirational to devote your time to.
The Gallery gives equal emphasis to both, the classic, and renowned artists, and the rising talents. So you get a fusion of classical and contemporary, you get every essence you could be looking for in art, in just this Gallery alone. You will get to see the works of artists from the Pacific Island, as well as those of artists from all over the world.
Wellington Zoo
The 1906 Wellington Zoo is New Zealand’s first zoo ever. However, looking at it, you will not believe that this zoo is over a century and a decade old. The Wellington Zoo is known for its heritage conservation and wildlife diversity. You will get to see some majestic animals up close in this zoo. If you are an animal or nature lover, this zoo is a must visit.
Here, you will get to see animals you will not have the opportunity to see anywhere else. You will find the kiwi bird, the tuatara reptile, the Malayan sun bear, meerkats, and more exotic species. You will also find giraffes, monkeys, tigers, lions, and chimpanzees. The USP of the Wellington Zoo is The Nest, the zoo’s own vet hospital which is open at fixed hours for visitors to explore.