Top tips for travel sellers
Here’s everything you need to know if you’re promoting or selling Wellington as a visitor destination.
Upbeat music plays.
Visual: A quick succession of clips introduce the video:
Location: Mount Victoria Lookout
Visual: Mid shot of a person (Leanne) speaking to the camera. Cuts to a panning shot showing the view over the city. Text appears in the bottom left of the screen: “Mount Victoria lookout”.
Audio: Kia ora everyone, welcome to Wellington. I’m Leanne from the tourism team at WellingtonNZ. Right now, we’re up at the beautiful Mount Victoria lookout, looking over the city and the harbour, and what a beautiful day it is today.
Visual: Transitions to a different view shot, looking over the harbour towards Petone as voiceover plays. After a few seconds, it cuts back to Leanne.
Audio: Now, my very first tip for you all is that when booking Wellington for your clients, we recommend giving them two nights so they have a full day jam-packed to see everything that there is to do here.
Visual: A quick succession of clips continue with voiceover:
Audio: Voiceover — Wellington has so much to see and do, and I’m excited to be able to show you some of that on our virtual tour here today.
Visual: Back to Leanne.
Audio: Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, centred around the beautiful Wellington harbour. Not only do we enjoy the convenience of living in a vibrant city...
Visual: Full shot of two women walking across a bridge with bush behind them. Transitioning to an aerial shot, looking down on them. The bridge is surrounded by lush, green, native bush.
Audio: Voiceover — but we’re surrounded by nature.
Visual: A quick succession of clips continues with voiceover:
Audio: Voiceover — Our coffee, craft beer and food is deeply loved by locals and visitors alike. Our creative industries are thriving.
Visual: Back to Leanne.
Audio: And we’re the centre of New Zealand’s arts, culture, and politics.
Visual: Cuts to a tighter shot of Leanne talking to the camera for a few seconds. Then transitions to a wide shot of Wellington’s Cable Car coming up the tracks, with Wellington City in the background. Text appears bottom left of the screen: “Wellington Cable Car”.
Audio: Voiceover — So, let’s go check out the city from the other side.
Location: Wellington Cable Car
Visual: A quick succession of clips with music playing.
Visual: A mid shot of Leanne talking to the camera from the lookout platform at the top of the Cable Car.
Audio: Wellington’s easy to get to and to get around.
Visual: A quick succession of clips play as a graphic of the New Zealand map overlays. A location pin fades onto the map, and the text “Wellington” appears to the right of it.
Audio: Voiceover — Wellington is located at the bottom of the north island. We’re the domestic hub for flights within New Zealand.
Visual: Two more location pins appear on the map, with the words “Auckland” and “Christchurch” appearing next to the relevant pins. A dotted line animates into place, connecting the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch pins. Clips continue to play underneath the map.
Audio: Voiceover — Auckland and Christchurch are just a one-hour flight from Wellington, so it’s easy to connect to other international flights.
Visual: The map zooms into Wellington as the dialogue refers to the city. A small ferry icon appears on the map and moves across, leaving a dotted line in its trail to highlight the travel route. Clips continue to play underneath the map.
Audio: Voiceover — A lot of people travel to Wellington to connect to the ferry to the south island.
Visual: On Leanne for a few moments, then cuts to a sequence of Classic New Zealand Wine Trail (CNZWT) clips. The map fades back in, overlaying the clips. It is zoomed in to the lower half of the north island and the top of the south island. The Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Marlborough regions are highlighted on the map. A blue dotted line appears and animates down, connecting the regions. As the line draws closer, Picton and Blenheim markers appear on the map. At the end of the voiceover, the map fades away, ending on the end of the aerial shot.
Audio: Visitors often drive down from Taupō or Hawke’s Bay along the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail. This scenic sign-posted trail down State Highway 2 is a great way for your visitors to drive to Wellington and travel through the beautiful Wairarapa region.
Visual: Back to Leanne.
Audio: Wellington is a small compact city, and it’s only 30 minutes to walk from one end of the downtown area to the other.
Visual: A succession of clips showcasing Wellington’s walking accessibility:
Audio: Voiceover — Our clients don’t need a car to experience Wellington, and it’s easy for them to walk around the downtown area, or there’s shuttle transport to our major attractions.
Visual: Back to Leanne. As she finishes talking, she walks off, initiating the next location of the virtual tour.
Audio: Our next stop on this virtual tour is Zealandia Ecosanctuary, and they actually have a free electric shuttle from up here at the Cable Car. So let’s go see Gabby.
Location: Zealandia
Visual: A succession of clips following Leanne to Zealandia whilst upbeat music continues to play.
Visual: Wide shot in front of water reservoir at Zealandia. Leanne walks into the shot, greeting Gabby.
Audio: Leanne — Hey Gabby, thanks for having me today. Can you tell me a bit more about Zealandia?
Gabby — Hi Leanne, welcome to Zealandia.
Visual: A succession of clips showcasing Zealandia, occasionally cutting back to Leanne and Gabby talking.
Audio: Gabby — So this is a 225-hectare or 500-acre ecosanctuary. We were the world’s first predator-free ecosanctuary, and it’s an amazing place to experience New Zealand’s nature and to see some incredible native species.
We have day tours, twilight, and night tours. The day tours run three times a day, every day, year-round. It’s a two-hour adventure into the sanctuary. We run twilight tours. They operate October to March every year, and they happen right before nighttime starts. So you get to experience a part of the day and a part of the night, and there’s a magical moment in between where the daytime species go quiet and then before the nighttime species start. It’s really a magical experience. For all of our tours, bookings are absolutely essential.
We also run night tours. We’re quite famous for the night tours because we have at least 180 little spotted kiwis all living wild at Zealandia, and it’s a really fun adventure into the forest. At night we give visitors a little red light torch and we guide them through and tell them all about the work we do here. So Zealandia is a place of conservation research and learning, and we’re working to protect the space and bring it back to how it was before humans arrived.
Leanne — Wow, that sounds amazing. Should we go have a look?
Gabby — Absolutely!
Music continues to play.
Visual: Wide Aerial shot of Leanne and Gabby walking across the viewing platform above the reservoir. Followed by a wide shot of a different part of the reservoir, with a tui bird taking off from a nearby tree.
Visual: Leanne and Gabby are now on one of the walkways, sheltered under a canopy of trees. They continue their conversation as the camera tracks with them. A succession of clips cut overtop as they talk, occasionally cutting back to them.
Audio: Customers come here, and they just love being immersed in nature. They love seeing the rare species that we have here. There’s the hihi which is nationally vulnerable, and the tieki which has a really cool call that you can hear. Our guides are really good at finding these birds and pointing them out on the guided tours. So coming here you can see so much more than what you would on a standard bush walk through New Zealand.
Visual: Back to Leanne and Gabby.
Audio: Leanne — Amazing. Thank you so much for showing me around today Gabby. Now I’m going to head back into the city.
Gabby — Awesome, thanks for coming.
Location: Oriental Bay
Visual: A succession of shots of Leanne back in the city.
Visual: Mid shot of Leanne at Oriental Bay, talking to the camera. Cuts to a succession of clips showcasing Oriental Bay as the voiceover continues, occasionally cutting back to Leanne.
Audio: Now we’re at Oriental Bay; it’s like Wellington’s backyard, where locals and visitors come to hang out. There’s always so much going on down here. For accommodation in Wellington, there’s many different options for different budgets and styles. We have major hotel chains such as the IHG the core Hilton and Millennium, as well as service departments and boutique properties for bed and breakfast and farm stays. These are just out of the city, about a 20-minute drive from here.
An interesting thing to note is that December and January are actually quieter months for us in the city. Wellington has a large corporate market and there’s often less business travel in these months, meaning there’s more rooms available for leisure travellers. Wellington hosts a large range of major events, so it’s always good to book accommodation in advance.
Not far from here is Te Papa Museum, so let’s go have a look.
Location: Te Papa
Visual: A succession of clips introducing Te Papa.
Visual: Wide shot standing in front of the Te Marae exhibition. Leanne enters the frame, meeting Lucho, a representative from Te Papa.
Audio: Leanne — Hey Lucho.
Lucho — Kia ora Leanne.
Leanne — So we’re at Te Papa Museum, the national museum of New Zealand. So, tell us about the museum.
Visual: As Lucho speaks, we cut to clips of the museum, occasionally cutting back to them talking.
Audio: Lucho voiceover — It was opened in 1998, and it was made with three intentions: to understand the past in order to enrich the present and to meet the challenges of the future. It’s got exhibitions ranging from the natural world to our national art collection to Māori exhibitions, and it’s all proudly free.
We’ve got a range of guided tours taking all around the museum. Tours that finish with food at the end. Tours that take you back of the house into the collection rooms — a really special experience getting you up and close to the nation’s treasures.
Leanne voiceover — Awesome, should we go take a look?
Lucho voiceover — Yeah, let’s.
Visual: A succession of clips of Leanne and Lucho walking through parts of Te Papa play, along with music.
Visual: Wide shot of Leanne and Lucho arriving in front of the Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibition. Lucho explains the exhibition to Leanne as we cut to clips inside of the exhibition, occasionally cutting back to them talking.
Audio: So here we are at Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War. It’s an exhibition that was made by the team over at Wētā Workshop. It tells the story of eight New Zealanders in the First World War, and what makes it really special is that there are these statues that are 2.4 times the size of humans but hyper-realistic. You’ve got the hair coming out of their arms, taste buds on their tongue, but most importantly for me, it’s their eyes; they’re so realistic that you can really feel the sacrifice that these people made over 100 years ago.
Visual: The succession of clips continues to music playing.
Visual: Full shot of Leanne and Lucho walking out of the exhibition exit.
Audio: Leanne — Wow, that was really moving. The size of the statues is pretty impressive.
Lucho — Truly incredible! Let’s continue our tour, and let’s go to Te Taiao Nature next.
Visual: A succession of clips introducing the Te Taiao Nature exhibition, with music playing.
Visual: Wide of Leanne and Lucho standing inside the exhibition.
Audio: Lucco — This is an exhibition all about human impact on the world and how we could be kaitiaki (guardians) of our weird and wonderful wildlife here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Leanne — Cool, so what are some of the highlights of this exhibition?
Visual: Cuts to clips of Lucco’s highlights and occasionally comes back to them talking.
Audio: Lucco — My personal favourite, you’ve got the earthquake house behind there. We can feel what an earthquake feels like. You’ve got the giant Haast Eagle that’s about to swoop down and grab you. You’ve got the colossal squid. It’s all about the sights, sounds, and smells of New Zealand.
Leanne — Yeah, it’s really interactive, right? Everyone can come in, and it’s good for families.
Visual. Finishes up with Leanne and Lucco on camera. Cuts to aerial shot flying up the Te Papa building and over, revealing Wellington city.
Audio: Amazing, well thank you so much for showing me the museum today.
Visual: Mid shot of Leanne talking to the camera in front of Te Papa. After a few moments of talking, it cuts to a panning aerial shot of the harbour and then back to Leanne.
Audio: As a Wellingtonian, I love this place. It’s compact and vibrant and a great mix of city and outdoors. I’m lucky enough to live in the city centre, so I literally have everything on my doorstep. I can head out to check out the restaurants or the gallery and still be minutes away from nature. I love to be able to show people my favourite hidden gems, so let’s go take a look at one of them now.
Location: Hannahs Laneway
Visual: A succession of clips playing to music:
Visual: Wide shot of Leanne walking towards the camera, situated in Hannahs Laneway. Cutting to a succession of clips overlaying the audio and occasionally back to Leanne as she speaks.
Audio: I’m personally a massive foodie, so I’m spoiled for options here in Wellington. This hidden gem is Hannah’s Laneway, home to many different food experiences, including the Wellington Chocolate Factory and Fix and Fogg peanut butter.
If your clients want to experience the best of the food, I would suggest coming in August, which is our annual food festival Wellington on a Plate. All the different restaurants transform into cool little boutique food experiences. Put on special events, special menus for you to come and really indulge in our great food.
Visual: Full shot of Fix and Fogg sign: “Make the most of your toast”. Cut to a shot of Leanne speaking to the camera in front of the Fix and Fogg window in Hannah’s Laneway. Clips inside the shop overlay the audio.
Audio: This quirky window is Fix and Fogg’s peanut butter, where your clients can come and sample a range of different, interesting peanut butter flavours. They have the classics, as well as some wacky ones. This one is “Smoking Fire”, which is like a normal peanut butter, except it’s full of spice. That’s really good.
The last stop on our virtual tour today, we’re going to head out to Wellington’s main film destination.
Location: Wētā Workshop
Visual: A succession of clips introduce Wētā Workshop, with music playing.
Visual: Wide tracking shot following Leanne down the entrance to greet Kevin, a representative from Wētā. Cut to shots within the workshop whilst audio overlays. Occasionally cutting back to Leanne and Kevin.
Audio: Kevin — Kia ora Leanne.
Leanne — Nice to see you. (To camera) So we’re now at Wētā Workshop with Kevin. So tell us a bit about what you can do here.
Kevin — So Wētā Workshop is an award-winning design and manufacturing company known for working on films like the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, James Cameron’s Avatar, and so many more that fans around the world know and love. So you can come in here, and see all those amazing screen, news, props, and costumes in person. The amazing detail we put into them. Learn how they’re made and well, maybe take home a sword or two as well.
Leanne — Amazing! So you have guided tours available?
Kevin — We sure do. You can go through two spaces. One is inside a designated portion of the actual workshop. You get to see through different spaces, learn about your favourite props and costumes, and actually see them in person. Then you can explore the world of miniatures and how we bring fantastical worlds to life as well.
Leanne — So how long does a tour usually take?
Kevin — For both of our spaces, it’s around an hour and 45 minutes, which is great. But then you can also do a hands-on workshop, which is around 90 minutes.
Leanne — Cool. And if people are in the city, they can take transport out, right?
Kevin — They sure can. One of our most popular trade products is our full experience, which does include transport to and from Wellington city, only about 15 minutes from the city and about five to seven minutes from the airport, so really close by.
Leanne — How long is that whole package altogether?
Kevin — It’s about four hours. It’s a great product
Leanne — Perfect. Should we go have a look at what there’s to see?
Kevin — Let’s do it.
Visual: A secession of clips showing the workshop as music plays.
Visual: Full shot of Leanne and Kevin standing before an orc statue (Lord of the Rings). Cut to tighter clips of the detail on the statue as they talk.
Audio: Leanne — Wow, this thing’s really cool.
Kevin — Yeah, this is Lertz from Lord of the Rings. Fun fact, he took 11 hours in a makeup chair to go through this epic transformation. A full foam latex bodysuit, contacts, teeth, hair — everything. An award-winning prosthetics team here at Wētā Workshop actually created this guy. Pretty cool stuff.
Leanne — Yeah, that is really cool. Should we go have a look at some other stuff?
Visual: A succession of clips to music.
Visual: Wide shot of Leanne and Kevin standing in front of an orc.
Audio: Leanne — Thank you so much for showing me around today, Kevin. It’s been great to see the place.
Kevin — It’s my pleasure.
Leanne (to camera) — And thank you, everyone, for joining us today on this virtual tour of Wellington. I hope you learned something new, and we look forward to welcoming your clients soon.
Visual: Ending on a wide shot looking out to the South Coast and the edge of the Wellington airport. Words fade onto the screen: “Special mention: WellingtonNZ: Making the Wellington region wildly famous. WellingtonNZ logo fades away, and logos for Te Papa, Wētā Workshop and Zealandia appear underneath Special mention. Logos and text fade away, ending with “100% PURE NEW ZEALAND”.
Our national museum is a must-do, with six storeys of interactive exhibitions housed in an architectural wonder of a building.
Dive a bit deeper and explore the history of Aotearoa through Te Papa’s guided tours and experiences. Options include Introducing Te Papa, Daily Mana Māori, and Art Narrative tours or opt for your own private tour.
Location: 55 Cable Street, Wellington
Visual: The video begins with the narrator Lucho, in the foyer of Te Papa Tongarewa talking to the camera.
Audio: Nau mai haere mai ki Te Papa Tongarewa. I'm Lucho, and welcome to Te Papa the National Museum of New Zealand.
[Music]
Visual: The camera pans around the entrance of the Te Papa building, and a drone shot of the waterfront surrounding the exterior of the building. It cuts to a shot of the entrance of Te Papa and a person walks in through the front entrance's automatic doors. The sunrises over the harbour with Te Papa clouded in fog.
Audio: Gifted to us by northern tribes, Te Papa translates to a container of treasures.
Visual: The text 'Te Papa - a container of treasures' appears on screen.
Audio: Spread over six floors, your clients will come to understand what makes the small island nation of Aotearoa New Zealand so special.
Visual: A birds-eye-view shows Te Papa sitting on the edge of Wellington harbour, and the building is then highlighted in yellow. It then cuts to a family of four walking through a laneway in Wellington, and enjoying a meal on the Wellington waterfront.
Audio: Te Papa is located on Wellington's beautiful harbour and is a quick walk from all the city's vibrant streets, hotels, and restaurants.
Visual: Lucho welcomes guests into Te Papa, and takes them on a tour, with close-ups of bird exhibits.
Audio: While Te Papa offers free admission to all of our visitors, we have a range of guided tours that give your clients the opportunity to hear New Zealand's unique history and culture.
Visual: Lucho takes a group through some exhibits, and you can see waka, native birds, paintings and traditional wood carvings.
Audio: Our tours will give your customers the chance to become ambassadors of New Zealand as they will take back home the unforgettable stories of our country. Join our guides as they reveal innovative cultural treasures of the Māori and Pasifika peoples, the history and signs of New Zealand's vibrant natural environment, and the secrets behind the artworks of the national art collection.
Visual: The camera zooms across Wellington's waterfront area towards Te Papa. It then shows a world globe being spun. The globe has country names written in both English and Te Reo Māori text.
Audio: Our 'Te Papa Highlights' and 'Introducing Te Papa' tours are a great way to get a general overview of the museum. These tours are ideal for visitors with limited time, or for those wanting a taste of New Zealand's past, present, and future.
Visual: The camera walks into the Te Taio exhibition, and shows native animals, birds, and flora on display.
Audio: The Te Taiao Nature exhibition showcases the rich and biodiverse environments of New Zealand, from the sky to the mountains, the rivers and the seas.
Visual: A tour group walks in to the Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibition. They walk through the exhibit past giant sculptures of people that are re-enacting scenes from World War I.
Audio: Learn more about New Zealand's efforts in World War I through the award-winning Gallipoli exhibition created by the team at Wētā Workshop, and explore the other exhibitions dotted throughout the museum.
Visual: Lucho takes the group around the Mana Māori tour, showing Te tiriti O waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi), carvings, and waka.
Audio: 'He toi whakairo, he mana tangata': where there is excellence there is human dignity. Our Mana Māori tours will let your clients experience the living and breathing taonga of te iwi taketake - Aotearoa New Zealand's indigenous peoples. From great journeys across vast oceans, to hopeful visions of the 21st century, these toanga speak to historical and contemporary Māori perspectives.
Visual: A group of people raise their glasses in a toast before taking a sip. They are sitting inside the Te Papa building. Through the windows in the background you can see the Wellington waterfront. The camera cuts to the Toi Art Gallery, with dozens of historic paintings on the walls.
Audio: Experience true māori manaakitanga and kai with the 'Māori Experience Kīnaki' and 'Taonga Māori': behind the scenes experience tours. Join us in Toi Art, Te Papa's gallery that houses New Zealand's national art collection, and hear the stories behind historic and contemporary pieces.
Visual: Lucho shows the group Rongomaraeroa, Te Marae, a multi-coloured marae on display inside Te Papa, with intricate carvings. The drone flies over Te Papa and blurs into the distance.
Audio: On the 'Art Narratives' tour gain insights into key influences that have shaped more than 1,000 years of New Zealand art and visual culture. From a self-driving couple to groups that pack an entire coach, our tours are suitable for groups of all sizes. For trade enquiries contact us at tours@tepapa.govt.nz.
Visual: The narrator, Lucho, addresses the camera once more, and gestures to come along on a tour of Te Papa.
Audio: Welcome to our place, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Kia whakareo anō ngā kōrero: bringing our stories to life
[Music]
For 120 years, the Cable Car has trundled up the Kelburn hillside making it one of Wellington’s most iconic experiences. Take a virtual trip and see how a visit to the Cable Car can be built into any itinerary.
Location: Cable Car Lane, 280 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Visual: The video begins with our tour guide, April, wearing a red Wellington Cable Car uniform and waving to the camera. In the background, the Cable Car arrives down the tracks. It then cuts between short historic clips of the Cable Car in black and white.
Audio: Kia ora, welcome to Wellington Cable Car, I am April your host for this journey. The Cable Car is an iconic piece of Wellington's history and has been operating for 120 years.
Visual: A timelapse of customers scanning their tickets, then hopping on and off of the Cable Car plays. We then see the cables in action on the track.
Audio: First opened to the public in 1902, it was instantly successful with over 425,000 trips taken in its first year. A major achievement for New Zealand engineering.
Visual: The camera follows a customer, getting their ticket from the ticket booth at the bottom of the Cable Car at Cable Car Lane, scanning the ticket, and hopping on board. There is a close up of the Cable Car signpost on Lambton Quay, showing a red miniature Cable Car model sitting on top of the sign.
Audio: Your clients can start their journey from the Cable Car Lane. Tell them to look for the Cable Car signpost on Lambton Quay. The Cable Car runs every 10 minutes between the city centre on Lambton Quay and Kelburn. Allow half an hour for a quick return journey.
Visual: An aerial image of central Wellington plays on the screen, as placemarkers for Lambton Quay, The Botanic Garden, Space Place, and Zealandia, are shown on the map near the summit of the Cable Car.
Audio: Or if your clients have spare time, they can mix and match nearby activities at the Cable Car summit, such as the Botanic Garden, Space Place Planetarium, or Zealandia Ecosanctuary.
Visual: A person looks through binoculars over the Wellington Harbour, and more visitors watch the Cable Car go down the tracks with sweeping views of Wellington city in the background. The visitors look inside The Cable Car Museum and drink coffee in the café.
Audio: At the top, visitors can admire the best views of Wellington at the lookout, learn about the history at the free Cable Car Museum, or grab a bite to eat at the café.
Visual: The camera shows visitors walking into the Cable Car on the summit and cuts to the Cable Car going through a dark tunnel, lit up by multi-coloured LED lights. The Cable Car then arrives at the bottom, where colourful paintings line the walls.
Audio: Your clients can also start their journey from the Cable Car summit, which is a popular option for group tours, or FITs can simply hop on the next available Cable Car and pay at the bottom. Wholesale rates are available to wholesale partners or through major ITOs.
Visual: The Cable Car is shown leaving the station, with the text wellingtoncablecar.co.nz/trade on screen.
Audio: Please contact us directly through our website wellingtoncablecar.co.nz/trade. The Wellington Cable Car is a must-do activity as part of any Wellington itinerary. We look forward to welcoming your clients.
Visual: The tour guide, April, addresses the camera once more with the Cable Car in the background, and waves goodbye.
Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand’s oldest and most important nature reserves, and a place rich in Māori history. Learn more about the nature and cultural experiences your clients will discover with Kapiti Island Nature Tours.
Location: 29 Marine Parade, Paraparaumu Beach, Paraparaumu. (for check-in and biosecurity checks)
Visual: The video begins with a drone shot over Kapiti Island, with the text 'Kapiti Island Nature Tours' in white font on the screen. The camera then shows Manaaki, our tour guide and narrator talking to the camera, with Paraparaumu Beach and Kapiti Island in the background.
[Music]
Audio: Tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai ki te motu tapu o Kapiti, my name is Manaaki, and I'd like to welcome you to Kapiti Island.
Visual: A drone shot of Kapiti Island plays, showing the rocky beaches, large hills, and lush green native forest. The camera shows Manaaki with a kākā (native parrot) on his shoulder, addressing a tour group of adults and children.
Audio: Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand's oldest and most significant nature reserves, and is a place rich in Māori history. My tūpuna Te Rangihiroa arrived on Kapiti in 1820, and our whānau have been here since, welcoming visitors to the island, and telling its stories for generations.
Visual: A tour group stands inside a hut on the island, while Manaaki shows them books with information about the island. The camera then follows a young child with a backpack walking through the bush. A kākā sitting in a tree and a lizard get a close-up from the camera.
Audio: Join us for an unforgettable experience enjoying genuine Māori whānau hospitality, surrounded by forest teeming with the rare and unique wildlife of Aotearoa. Kapiti Island is located just off the coast of the lower north island.
Visual: More drone shots of Kapiti Island are followed by a map of the Wellington region, showing the driving route between central Wellington and Paraparaumu beach, as well as the ferry across to the island.
Audio: Our ferry departs from Paraparaumu Beach, which is an easy 45-minute drive north of Wellington city centre. After a 15-minute ferry crossing we welcome visitors to the island for both day tours and overnight stays at our lodge.
Visual: The ferry arrives on the rocky beach, and a tour group departs the boat and walks along the beach. The drone cuts to a rocky shore with large rocks and cliffs. A small bird bathes in water, and then a kāka sits on Manaaki's lap as he talks to a tour group. The camera shows more kākā in the trees.
Audio: On arrival, visitors are met by one of our experienced and knowledgeable guides who will help them understand the rich human history of the island and the long and successful natural restoration process, and help them to identify and enjoy the abundance of bird life the island is home to, including kōkako, kākā, weka, and over 1,000 little spotted kiwi!
Visual: The tour group walks through the native bush, smiling. We then see them reading a signboard on the beach and pointing at things on the board.
Audio: On a day tour visitors will be taken on a guided walk, where they'll learn more about the regeneration process and stories of the land, with time to walk their choice of accessible tracks, enjoying terrific views through regenerating forests.
Visual: A person on the tour is taking a photo of wildlife. The family tour group sits on a deck with a kākā on their lap. One person is holding a gecko.
Audio: They'll then make their way to our lodge to enjoy a chef-prepared lunch with tea, coffee, and refreshments available, before returning on the ferry to Paraparaumu beach around 3 pm.
Visual: Manaaki and his family are seen setting a table for the guests, and the camera zooms in on the food. The camera then follows a young child running through the bush as the evening falls.
Audio: Overnight guests will have the opportunity to experience the wildlife of Kapiti Island at night, as well as sharing the table with our whānau for an evening of delicious food, wine, and discussion, in a relaxed and authentic setting. After a three-course meal, they'll be taken on a guided night tour, with one of the best chances in the world to spot a kiwi in the wild.
Visual: The family tour group sit on a deck outside a large canvas tent, while talking and playing games.
Audio: After their stroll in the night guests retire to their accommodation with options including; glamping tents equipped with queen beds and situated with great views, warm and comfortable native wood-lined cabins, and an ocean view batch with ensuite.
Visual: The family walk along the beach, taking photos and admiring the view, then walk back to the ferry.
Audio: Our tours are ideally suited to self-drive, independent travellers, small groups, and special interest wildlife markets. Overnight stays are enjoyed by those who want an authentic hosted experience, on an island that brings together Aotearoa's unique and interesting human and natural histories, told by people of the land, with great food and wine along the way.
Visual: The camera comes back to Manaaki, talking to the camera with the island in the background. The screen fades to black, followed by the text: www.kapitiisland.com and 'Proudly brought to you by WellingtonNZ'.
Audio: We look forward to welcoming the world back to Aotearoa, and enjoying your company on Kapiti island. For more information, check out www.kapitiisland.com. Kia ora.
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Our Tourism Trade team works with a range of local tourism businesses. We can help you understand visitor markets and connect with travel sellers.
There are several key players that make up the New Zealand tourism industry. Here’s everything you need to know.
Our Tourism Team is on hand to help you promote and sell Wellington to your clients, start or develop a tourism business or bring a new tourism experience to Wellington.
WellingtonNZ is working with Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) to ensure sustainability is top of mind for Wellington’s tourism businesses.