Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is a harbour city nicknamed the Windy City. It advertises itself as "Absolutely Positively Wellington". Motto "Suprema a situ", which claims site supremacy with some justification.
Greater Wellington region
The Greater Wellington region is far bigger than just Wellington City. The old Wellington Province used to cover much of the southern half of the North Island, including the Horowhenua, Manawatu, and Wanganui regions. Now the region commonly (and officially, in Local Government Act terms) called Wellington includes:
- Porirua
- Hutt Valley
- Kapiti Coast
- Wairarapa
Adjoining cities
There are 3 other cities that are so close to Wellington that they effectively form a single large urban area; in population order they are:
- Lower Hutt (sometimes called erroneously "Hutt City", after its local council's self-chosen name)
- Porirua
- Upper Hutt
Understand
Wellington is not the largest city in New Zealand but is, for its inhabitants, undisputedly the best. While there is some friendly rivalry between the major cities, it is arguably recognised that Wellington has a more interesting CBD and is not as spread out as Auckland.
Politics
Because it is the capital city, the New Zealand Parliament and the head offices of many Government Departments and large businesses occupy central Wellington.
Geology
Much of the central city is built on reclaimed land that was raised up after a major earthquake in 1855. More land has been reclaimed since then. The shoreline as it was in 1840 is marked by plaques in the footpaths on Lambton Quay (hence the street name). There are several Quays which are now nowhere near the harbour.
Earthquakes have played a major part in forming the whole Wellington region - the exposed face of the Wellington fault being prominent as the line of hills adjacent to the harbour between Thorndon and Petone. There are several major earthquake faults in the region, some of which slip a metre or more in one jump every few centuries. Building regulations have meant that most of the older city buildings have been either demolished or strengthened in the last 20 years or so. Small and moderate earthquakes occasionally rock Wellington; so if the earth seems to move for you, it may not be just your imagination: stay indoors unless a "warden" or similar authority advises evacuation, and take shelter against potentially falling objects wherever you are. Afterwards, you can check the epicentre of latest quake with [Geonet].
Climate
Wellington is known as the Windy City. Since records began, the longest period without significant wind is less than three days. The prevailing wind is from the northwest but the strongest winds are southerly, which are generally accompanied by driving rain. The wind speed and direction can be told by the flag being flown from the Beehive. A large flag is flown only on calm days, a small flag is flown when windy days are expected, while a tiny flag is flown when storms are forecast.
The temperature in Wellington rarely drops below 0 degrees Celsius, even on a cold winter's night, while daytime winter temperatures are rarely lower than 8 degrees Celsius. During summer, the daytime maximum temperature rarely gets above 23 degrees Celsius. Away from the seaside, in inland valley, frosts of up to -10 degrees Celsius have been recorded and snow has been known to fall and settle on the hilltops for a few days after a particularly nasty southerly storm.
Get in
By air
Wellington International Airport is located at Rongotai, about 5 km from the central city. It sits on an isthmus between the Miramar peninsula and Mount Victoria. The southerly approach is over Cook Strait, while the northerly approach is over the harbour.
Wellington airport is a major transit point for domestic travellers. There are frequent flights to Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Hamilton, Nelson, Blenheim and many other destinations. International flights from Australia arrive about twice daily, though the evening flight arrives after midnight when most facilities are closed.
Landing at Wellington Airport in a strong cross-wind can be an adventure, and most pilots adopt a powered approach for landing. This tends to create a rollercoaster ride, so make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened. There is a regular Airport Bus known as the Flyer that departs from the south end of the domestic terminal. Taxis and covered carparking are directly outside the domestic terminal.
By boat
There are regular ferries between Wellington and Picton, see www.interislander.com or www.bluebridge.com, connecting with buses and the train to Christchurch. Cruise ships from overseas often stop in Wellington.
By road
There are only two major roads into Wellington, but they are the top two: State Highways 1 & 2.
By train
There is a daily train service between Wellington and Auckland. There are daily commuter services from Palmerston North and Masterton and a generally half-hourly suburban commuter service to Johnsonville, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Paraparaumu on the Kapiti coast.
Get around
Getting around the central city is easy on foot. The city is very compact and fairly pedestrian-friendly.
There are also plenty of buses some of which are electric trolley buses. You can buy an all day central Wellington Daytripper bus pass for $5 ($10 for up to 4 people). If you take a bus trip into the city suburbs, it will cost you about two or three dollars.
The train is the best form of public transport to use between the city and the Hutt Valley or Porirua. The easiest way to travel between the Hutt Valley and Porirua is usually to go by train via Wellington (and you don't save money by getting off at Kaiwharawhara).
If you are driving into Wellington on the weekend, metered car parking is free for two hours on Saturday, thre is no time limit on Sunday. The Lombard Parking and the James Smith parking buildings are no longer free on the weekends.
Taxis cost $2 for flagfall plus $1.70 per kilometre. Executive Taxis has professional service and a larger cab at $1.80 per kilometre. There are sometimes budget taxis for cheaper rates. The taxi companies in Wellington are not as useless as they are in other countries and they do tend to arrive more or less when expected.
See
- Mount Victoria. The best view of Wellington. It takes about an hour to walk up from Courtenay Place. Many tourist buses go there but also a lot of the locals.
- Wrights Hill. More views, and WWII underground tunnels which are open to the public on public holidays for a small fee.
- Brooklyn Windmill. Another great place to go to get an excellent view of the city, the harbour, and Cook Strait.
- Massey Memorial An interesting place to go if you want to see a large memorial in the middle of nowhere.
- Frank Kitts Park. A great place to wander around, with walls to climb, inline skates, and jet ski rental.
- Botanic Garden is a nice place to go for a picnic. You can take the cable car from Lambton Quay; but the cable car is not the world's most exciting despite being photogenic. The Caltex Towers building is next to the cable car and you can take its lift (or one of several others) up to The Terrace and walk the rest of the way if you're feeling energetic and want to go to the Carter Observatory and other features at the top of the Botanic Garden. Or wander throught the historic Boulton Street cemetery next to the gardens. There are several footpaths and bridges that will take you from the back of The Terrace, across the Motorway and into the gardens.
- Karori cemetery is also an interesting picnic spot.
- Oriental Parade. A new beach. However if you are not from somewhere really cold it is unlikely that it will be hot enough for you to be in desperate need for a swim. There is a spa pool (jacuzzi) in Freyberg Swimming pool (on Oriental Parade) which is inexpensive if you enjoy "people soup".
- Te Papa. The national museum. It's worth a look if you're a museum kind of person. Free (except for the occasional special presentation). http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/
- Karori Wildlife Sanctuary . A predator proof fence encloses an old water catchment area, forming a mainland island that provides a natural haven for endangered native birds, tuatara, w?t?, and other indigenous flora & fauna, safe from introduced predators. It can be seen from Wrights Hill above. http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/
- Plimmer's Ark. Under and in the Old Bank Arcade on the corner of Lambton Quay and Willis Street - near Plimmer's Steps. A hundred years ago a Bank was built on top of a wrecked ship that had been used as a market. When they renovated the building they discovered the ship's timbers and preserved the remains in the building! Just take the escalator down through the bank vault doors.
- Parliament Buildings, the Beehive (or Executive Wing), and the Parliamentary Library. The grounds of Parliament are open to the public. Known as the hill, Parliament grounds are at the foot of Molesworth and Bowen Streets, where they meet the start of Lambton Quay.
- National Library of New Zealand is on the corner of Aitken and Molesworth Streets. Across the road from the Cathedral and Parliament. The library regularly holds exhibitions. http://www.natlib.govt.nz/
- Turnbull House on Bowen Street, just across the road from Parliament Buildings: this imposing brick mansion now seems small and out of place amongst the surrounding high-rises.
- Government Buildings opposite Parliament at 15 Lambton Quay. This is the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere and the second-largest wooden building in the world. This restored wooden building is now the home to Victoria University Law School.
- Old Saint Paul's, one block east of Parliament, was the Anglican centre for decades. Superseded by the new cathedral north of Parliament, the old one is popular for weddings and funerals.
- Statues and sculptures appear in some intriguing places around town. Famous prime ministers, memorials, and works of art have all been erected in the streets of Wellington, including:
- *Memorial statues to two prime ministers in the grounds of Parliament as well as a bicentennial memorial to Captain Cook's 1769 discovery of New Zealand.
- *The Cenotaph on the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street, just outside the Parliament Grounds, is where a Dawn Memorial Service is held every ANZAC Day (25 April).
- *Behind Parliament, on the corner of Museum and Bowen Streets, is a small park with 3 sculptures in block.
- *On the corner of Lambton Quay and Stout Street, the fallen column has not come off the nearby building but is a work of art.
- *On Lambton Quay, opposite Cable Car Lane, the two stainless steel monoliths with pimples are actually a poem in braille!
- *Where Lambton Quay meets Featherston Street there is a wind mobile.
- *The Bucket Fountain in Cuba Mall - a real splash, for many years. http://www.bucketfountain.co.nz/
Do
- Circa Theatre. http://www.circa.co.nz/
- Bats Theatre. http://www.bats.co.nz/
- Downstage Theatre. http://www.downstage.co.nz/
- Beck's Incredible Film Festival. Incredibly strange, exploitation cinema and extra low budget movies.
- Festival of the Arts. February/March every two years. Next festival is 2006
- Comedy Festival.
- Fringe Festival.
- Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
- Dance Music. http://obscure.co.nz/
- Dive the frigate Wellington (F69). Probably the world's most accessible dive wreck. Just a few kilometres around the coast from Wellington International Airport. Sunk 13 November 2005 in 23 to 26 metres of water off Island Bay on Wellington's south coast. The wreck lies about 600 metres southeast of Taputeranga Island (the island of Island Bay) at 41° 21'.270 S., 174° 46'.770 E. http://www.divewreck.co.nz/F69/Home.php
Eat
Wellington has a lot of restaurants and cafes. Malaysian food is surprisingly popular and available in most areas. You can also get good Lebanese kebabs anywhere in the city. Fish and chips is the best value food but you usually get better quality in the suburbs.
More or less traditional:
- The Backbencher - opposite Parliament on Molesworth Street. Dine with the political figures of the day, who have a menu to match their misfortunes.
Malaysian:
- Roti; 149 Willis St - excellent Malaysian cuisine with a twist. The owner is fiercely proud of his cafe's individual approach to each dish.
- Cinta Malaysian Kitchen; 5 Courtenay Place - try the chicken sambal or the beef rendang.
- Satay Village; 58 Ghuznee St - these guys do a good curry laksa.
- Roti Chenai Cafe; Shop 5 120 Victoria St - very good Indian and Malaysian cuisine.
- Kopi Malaysian Espresso Cafe; 103 Willis Street - superb Malaysian cuisine.
Indian:
- Great India; very well-known restaurant. Has won the Wine & Food challenge for several years running.
Cafes:
- Midnight Espresso - always open, and always has good coffee.
- Fidel's cafe - a popular destination for a dessert and a coffee.
- Expressoholic - centrally located but tends to have a lot of drunk people in the late evenings.
- Ministry of Food - just up the road from parliament, what else can you call the place where the civil servants go to eat.
Lebanese kebabs:
- Kebabaholic - Manners Mall
Multicultural variety:
- BNZ Centre Foodcourt - Go underground. There is a food court in the basement of the big black square tower on the corners of Willis, Willeston and Victoria Streets. There is Sushi, Indian, Greek, Turkish stalls, amongst others. Dine there or take away.
Fish and chips: Every suburb in Wellington has a good fish and chip shop. You just have to know which ones are the best.
- Northland Fish & Chip Shop; 57 Northland Rd, Northland
- Dennis Fish Supply; 103 Randwick Rd, Moera, Lower Hutt
- Calypso Fish & Chips; 5 Waiwhetu Rd, Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt
- Plimmerton; Beach Road, Plimmerton, Porirua
Drink
Wellington has the undisputed best nightlife in New Zealand. This is concentrated along Courtenay Place, one of the major streets running from the CBD, through Te Aro, and ending in Mt Victoria. (Interestingly, the nightlife along this strip causes this street to have the highest population density in all of New Zealand on Friday and Saturday nights)
In most establishments, drinks are remarkably affordable, and cover charges are either nonexistant or minimal. In some of the better clubs reasonable dress standards apply, however in the day the mood is usually extremely causal, with even barefeet accepted (a common kiwi choice on hotter days)
In the CBD region (Lambton Quay) there are many after work bars frequented by office workers, however these usually do not provide all night partying.
Some of the popular bars on Courtenay Place include Shooters, Coyotes, Establishment, Kitty O'Sheas, and many more. Cuba Mall also features some cool and more alternative bars, including Good Luck Bar and The Matterhorn.
Sleep
- Downtown Backpackers - Hotel Waterloo Opposite the Railway station. 1 Bunny St. (Cnr Bunny St. & Waterloo Quay.)
- Museum Hotel - Hotel de Wheels Opposite Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand at 90 Cable Street. Freephone: 0800 994 335 => This hotel was moved to make way for the national museum, rather than being demolished.
- Novatel Capital
- Portland Hotel of Thorndon
- YHA Backpackers 292 Wakefield St. (Cnr Cambridge Tce & Wakefield St. - Opposite the Fire Station.) Bookings: 0800 600 100 =>
Get out
The nearby Hutt Valley and Porirua have a number of interesting sights and beaches. Plimmerton, for example, has seen future world windsurfing champions training, and Edmund Hillary practised rock-climbing at Titahi Bay before conquering Everest. Further afield, the South Wairarapa has become one of New Zealand's wine growing regions.
External links
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