Where to stay in Wellington

See

As the capital city, Wellington is the centre of New Zealand's government. Wellington/City is home to the residence of the Governor-General (the King's representative in New Zealand), offices of the New Zealand Government (executive), the New Zealand Parliament (legislative), the New Zealand Supreme Court and Court of Appeal (the country's highest and second-highest courts respectively) and the head offices of many Government departments. Most are within walking distance of Parliament, around the northern end of The Terrace and Lambton Quay areas and the Thorndon commercial area. Wellington/City is home to many museums and galleries.

Do

The Wellington Botanic Garden is a nice place to go for a picnic, or just an afternoon walk (or run for a challenging fitness experience). At the top of the Gardens, there are several attractions: the Cable Car Museum, the Lookout, and the Carter Observatory. The Bolton Street Memorial Park is a great place to meander through and check out the epitaphs of early pioneers and historical figures. Frank Kitts Park on the waterfront is a great place to wander around, with walls to climb, inline skates, and jet ski rental. The frigate Wellington is probably the world's most accessible dive wreck, just a few kilometres around the coast from Wellington International Airport.

Eat

Wellington has a lot of restaurants and cafés, in fact more cafés, bars and restaurants per head than New York City. Malaysian food is surprisingly popular and available in most areas. You can also get good Turkish kebabs anywhere in the city, or Lebanese at the Phoenician Falafel on Kent Terrace (their kebabs are better than all the Turkish places too). Fish and chips is the best value food and you usually get better quality in the suburbs. The quality of pub fare is often decent to pretty good, but prices can range from relatively low to faint-inducing.

Drink

Wellington has a bustling nightlife, concentrated along Courtenay Place, one of the major streets running from the CBD. It runs through Te Aro and ends in Mt Victoria. The nightlife causes this street to have the highest population density in all of New Zealand on Friday and Saturday nights. Wellington has a thriving craft beer scene and drinks are usually about $11-14 (in 2023). Entrance charges are either nonexistent or minimal. In some of the better clubs reasonable dress standards apply, however in the day the mood is usually extremely casual, with flip-flops (called Jandals in New Zealand) often accepted. Cuba Mall also features some cool and more alternative bars.

Stay safe

Wellington is reasonably safe at night, but common sense should prevail, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Occasionally, tourists relax security in New Zealand, thinking that it is a crime-free paradise. While violent crime against tourists is very rare (and is usually followed up by public outrage against the offenders), opportunistic petty crime can still occur. Simple steps like locking valuables away and staying in well-lit areas at night usually prevent problems. Vehicle break-ins are common, especially in shopping malls and 'park and ride' type car parks. Thieves generally target older vehicles with less complicated locks.