WellingtonLocations directory
The Wrights Hill Fortress screen location, located in Karori overlooking Wellington from an old gun emplacement. The location includes historic monuments, underground landmarks, and tunnels.

A mostly underground fortress located near the city.

Built in the 1940s, during the Second World War, to protect Wellington from possible enemy attack. Wrights Hill Fortress is located in Karori.

Surrounded by native bush, the long-range coastal battery consists of an underground network of tunnels, operation rooms, and three gun emplacements.

The two 23-centimetre guns, originally from England, could fire a 172-kilogram shell up to 30 kilometres. (Cancellation of a third gun happened after the Pacific war situation improved.) The guns were only ever fired for testing purposes.

Training took place at the fortress up to the mid-1950s. In the 1960s, the guns were cut up for scrap and sold.

In 1989, the Karori Lions Club opened the complex to the public for the first time. In 1992, the Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society formed and has worked since then to restore and preserve the fortress. The fortress is typically only open to the public four times a year.

Location details

Jurisdiction Wellington City Council
Permits required Private, contact Screen Wellington
Location descriptors Desolate, historic, industrial, historical monuments, parks, underground, landmarks, military, ocean views, bush, city views, grassland, farmland, tunnels.
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The green native bush of Belmont Regional Park, with streams and hills.

Belmont Regional Park

Maungaraki, Lower Hutt | 36Belmont Regional Park is a popular and extensive setting for recreational activities and protection of the natural environment.

A site of significant conservation value, the estuary is easily accessible in Porirua. A 30-minute drive from the capital, the Pāuatahanui Inlet is a large estuary surrounded by a wildlife reserve.

Pāuatahanui Inlet

Pāuatahanui, Porirua | 85Pāuatahanui Inlet is a site of significant conservation value, the large estuary is surrounded by a wildlife reserve and is easily accessible in Porirua.

An expansive, coastal area of park and wilderness just north of the capital. With 180 hectares of open space and pockets of native bush, Whitireia Park is where people in Porirua come to roam on foot, bike, or hoof.

Whitireia Park

Whitireia Road, Tītahi Bay, Porirua | 83Whitireia Park is an expansive, coastal area of park and wilderness just north of Wellington. It is 180 hectares of open space and native bush.

Gear Homestead is a two-storey weatherboard house on Okowai Road in Porirua. Known for its beautiful architecture, and picturesque grounds, it is a popular centre for events and activities.

Gear Homestead

1 Okowai Road, Aotea, Porirua | 74With sea views, the stately Gear Homestead has been well-maintained for many years. It is a two-storey weatherboard house in Porirua.

In the heart of Greytown, in the Wairarapa region, Cobblestones Museum showcases the Victorian life of the area’s early settlers.

Cobblestones Museum

169 Main Street, Greytown | 73Cobblestones Museum in Greytown is a working village showcasing the Victorian life of the Wairarapa region’s early settlers.

The gold and red interior of Bats Theatre.

Bats Theatre

1 Kent Terrace, Mount Victoria, Wellington | 72The Bats Theatre is a restored heritage building offering intimate performance spaces in Wellington city. It sits at the end of Courtenay Place.

Futuna Chapel is an architecturally award-winning chapel showcasing Māori and Pākehā influences. Located in Karori, Wellington, it is one of the country’s most striking examples of 1960s architecture.

Futuna Chapel

67 Futuna Close, Karori, Wellington | 70Futuna Chapel in the Wellington suburb of Karori is an architecturally award-winning chapel showcasing Māori and Pākehā influences.

The Holy Trinity Church is a good example of a rural mid-to late-19th-century New Zealand church. Built in 1870, it is a small, rural church in Ohariu Valley in Johnsonville, Wellington. It has a small graveyard associated with it.

Holy Trinity Church

638 Ohariu Valley Road, Ohariu, Wellington | 69Holy Trinity Church in Ohariu, Wellington is a good example of a rural mid-to late-19th-century New Zealand church.

A unique 19th-century American-style military timber blockhouse in Upper Hutt. Built in 1861, the Blockhouse is a unique 19th-century American-style military timber blockhouse.

Upper Hutt Blockhouse

Blockhouse Lane, Trentham, Upper Hutt | 68The Upper Hutt Blockhouse is a unique 19th-century American-style military timber blockhouse in Trentham. It became a historic building in 1916.

Established in 1919, The Milk Station Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast has been thoughtfully restored and now serves as an elegant event venue.

The Milk Station, Ōtaki

35 Rahui Road, Ōtaki | 50With indoor and outdoor spaces, The Milk Station on the Kāpiti Coast is a popular and elegant venue off the beaten track.