Story Themes
Our story themes are designed to give you ideas about angles you might want to pitch or research for your story about Wellington.
Please contact us for more information or ideas bespoke to your publication and audience; and to arrange interviews.
The best little capital in the world's harbour
The Best Little Capital in the World
Here in Wellington we're all about global domination. Wellingtonians love Wellington, New Zealanders love Wellington, and now we're on a mission to make sure all of the world loves Wellington. The aim of the new Wellington Visitor Strategy 2015 is that our beloved city will one day widely be considered the 'best little capital in the world'.
Why can we say this? Lots of reasons - like because we are actually quite little, everyone loves us and there's heaps of fun stuff going on. Help us spread the word!
Spoil Yourself in Wellington
Positively Wellington Tourism is world famous in New Zealand for its award-winning marketing campaigns. While there's no concrete evidence to suggest the highly successful Have a Love Affair with Wellington actually spurred Kiwis to take more romantic getaways, we suspect it did and the world is a happier place for it.
We're happy to report we're continuing to use our power for the greater good of humanity with our latest campaign, Spoil Yourself in Wellington. We all need a little bit of a treat every now and then, and Wellington is the perfect place to spoil yourself. Whether your idea of indulgence is dining on fine food, investing in art, shopping up a storm, relaxing in a classy hotel room, or checking out a rock concert or international sports match; Wellington caters to your desire.
Holidays That Don't Cost the Earth
Everyone's pretty hot on sustainability right now so how about writing a story about a citybreak that doesn't cost the earth. Wellington's compact nature makes the city easy to navigate by foot, and a fantastic public transport system is available for those wanting to venture further afield.
Wellington is home to heaps of visitor experiences with a green bent, including the multi award-winning Zealandia and carbon neutral tour operators Wild About Wellington. Our accommodation operators are all doing their bit too - YHA Wellington was the first backpacker hostel in New Zealand to gain Qualmark Enviro-Gold status and they also won a Trail Blazer Award at the 2007 Sustainable Business Awards.
Wellington is also the birthplace of Green Cabs.
Wellywood
Wellington's nickname was coined as homage to our world renowned film industry. You might have heard of a little trilogy called Lord of the Rings that was made here, and several more major Hollywood movies were filmed here recently, including Avatar, The Dam Busters and The Lovely Bones.
Wellington is the home base for filming of The Hobbit. The two films will be produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro. Lord of the Rings stars Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis have already been confirmed for the films.
The Weta Cave in Miramar takes you behind-the-scenes of Wellywood's filmmaking brilliance, and combines three experiences in one; a mini museum, a theatre and a shop. The museum showcases characters, props and displays selected from the more than 20 years of Weta history. Visitors can read stories about how characters were brought to life and learn about the artists who created them.
Discover Wellywood with a Wellington Movie Tour, or Lord of the Rings fans should look at the tours run by the following companies:
Wellington Rover Tours
Flat Earth New Zealand Experiences
Hammonds Scenic Tours
