From world class bars and a world leading film industry, to holidays that don’t cost the earth and time and space travel, Wellington’s got lots of tales for you to tell. Our team can also help with market-specific hooks; chances are we know someone interesting from your city or country to give you a local spin.
If you’re after the inside scoop, have a look at our Word on the Street blog written by locals for locals.
The Best Little Capital in the World
Here in Wellington we're all about global domination...in a world peace kind of way. Wellingtonians love Wellington, New Zealanders love Wellington, and now we're on a mission to make the entire world love Wellington.
The aim of the 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 (about 180,000 people live in the city), hip new spots are opening all the time and there's heaps of fun stuff going on.
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 reckon maybe it did and the world is a happier place for it. We're continuing to use the powers of marketing for the greater good of humanity with our latest domestic campaign, Spoil Yourself in Wellington. We all need a little bit of a treat every now and then. Whether your idea of indulgence is dining on fine food, investing in art, shopping up a storm, relaxing in a classy hotel room, or heading to an epic sports match, Wellington caters to you.
One Night is Not Enough
No it’s not a James Bond flick, it’s our catch cry when talking to people from the other side of the world. You see, Wellington is a Kiwi favourite but we’re still working on spreading the word globally. Back in the day, Wellington didn’t feature significantly in a lot of trade brochures because there wasn’t a lot of commissionable product to sell in the capital of cool. Who knew having heaps of free and cheap activities would be a bad thing!? The good news is, we’ve had a number of new commissionable attractions open in recent times and the best little secret in the world isn’t so secret anymore.
Time and Space Travel in Wellington
Visitors can step back in time and travel to the edge of the Universe in Wellington. ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience takes you back in time to the day before humans arrived. Visitors meet the extinct giant moa and fearsome Haast's eagle and hear the haunting song of the extinct huia. Discover the impact of human settlement on a fragile paradise and the groundbreaking work that’s being done to restore a piece of New Zealand to what it once was.
After a stroll through the world-first wildlife safe haven, head to New Zealand’s ‘Place for Space’, Carter Observatory. The observatory features interactive exhibits and a 9m dome digital planetarium that takes you from Wellington to the edge of our Solar System and beyond.
Holidays That Don’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. Our city is home to heaps of visitor experiences with a green bent, including the multi award-winning ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience 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 won its section of the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards in 2009. Wellington is also home to New Zealand’s first carboNZero-certified taxi company, Wellington Combined Taxis.
Welcome to Wellywood
Oscar winning director Guillermo del Toro has described Wellington as “Hollywood the way God intended it”. The city’s ‘Wellywood’ nickname was coined as homage to our world-leading film industry. You might have heard of a little trilogy called Lord of the Rings that was made here, and blockbusters are filmed or worked on here all the time by the likes of Weta Workshop and Park Road Post.
Visitors can get a taste of Wellywood at the Weta Cave in Miramar, which takes you behind-the-scenes of Weta’s filmmaking brilliance as well as selling their famed collectables. A number of tour operators also offer film-based tours, including Wellington Rover Tours, Flat Earth New Zealand Experiences, Wellington Movie Tours and Hammonds Scenic Tours.
Culinary Capital
Follow your nose and your stomach in Wellington and discover the best cuisine New Zealand has to offer. The city has taken out the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year supreme title four out of the awards' six years, and in 2010 Shae Moleta of The Ambeli took out the inaugural personality title. Visitors can pick up local produce and products from a range of boutique weekend food markets or the award-winning Moore Wilson Fresh. Collect local cheeses, pickles and fresh bread for a picnic in the Botanic Garden or on the city’s golden sand beach; or serve seafood fresh from the surrounding bays with local wine in your hotel suite. The annual Visa Wellington On a Plate food festival in August celebrates the region’s culinary prowess through a delectable menu of events.
I Love the Nightlife
Wellington is well known and loved for its ability to show you a good time, but there’s more to the capital’s nightlife than classy cocktails and boutique brews.
If your visit has you in town on a Wednesday, head to the Backbencher Pub for politics Kiwi-style, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is open late on Thursday evenings, go in search of Kiwi at ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience on a Night Tour, or TheNewDowse contemporary art gallery has a regular programme of evening entertainment.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side
Wellingtonians are said to be among New Zealand’s fittest people, with 11% of residents walking to work. As well as strolling through shops in the compact downtown, visitors can learn about the scenery and heritage on a number of walking trails and guided walking tours. Start your day with a walk up to the Mount Victoria Lookout and spend an afternoon seeking seals and marvelling at the Red Rocks on the South Coast – on a clear day you can see across to the South Island. Just minutes’ drive from the city you can walk through a ‘living ark’ at ZEALANDIA and families can combine art with education with City Gallery’s Art Explorer Maps. The Welly Walks iPhone application is also a great companion for exploring Wellington on foot.
