The 15 best things to do in Wellington, New Zealand
Last updated on May 17th, 2026 at 05:42 am
Wellington is known as the “cool little capital” and yes its quite cool. Of course, I am always keen on sharing the ‘wild side’ but it does have theater, great food and nightlife as well.
But from me, and ex-local, to you, as a traveler with some interest in the natural world and outdoors, these are the best of the best things to do in Wellington, or Welly as its often called! It will definitely give you a good taste of what the city is.
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Plan for your trip
Flights – use skyscanner or booking.com to find and book your flight – I often find the same flight for a lot cheaper than booking direct with the airline!
Insurance – Use EKTA or SafetyWing. TBH I usually use EKTA – they accept any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling – which is perfect for me!
Accommodation – use booking.com, or for a hostel – Hostelworld. I use both.
Internet – buy a yesim eSim or Airalo before you go. I use both depending on where I am going.
Buses, trains, ferries – 12Go is always my first option for buses, ferries and trains
Car rental – use DiscoverCars – they are my ‘go-to’ car rental site
Hiking – I use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – it means you know exactly where you are on the trail and makes getting lost a lot harder!!
Tours and Activities – book with Viator, GetYourGuide, or Eatwith.
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A few fun facts about Welly!
- Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world.
- It is also the windiest city in the world – yes windier than Chicago. It is often called Windy Welly!
- Wellington also has heaps of cafes – apparently more per capita than NYC! The same applies to craft beer breweries!
- Almost all of Wellington’s residents live within three kilometres of the coastline.
- In 1893, the parliament in Wellington passed a law making New Zealand the first country to give all women the vote.
- The Government Buildings at 55 Lambton Quay is the largest wooden building in New Zealand and one of the most impressive in the world.
- The city was named after the first Duke of Wellington – who never visited New Zealand! However the New Zealand Company chose the name in 1840 to acknowledge his support for their colony-founding efforts.
The 15 best things to do in Wellington
I will start with a bit of culture and move on to the outdoor and natural world things….
But if you are short on time – only have a day – then I recommend one of these city tours to cover the top aspects of the city!
- Private Wellington Full Day Sightseeing Tour – all the top spots and you can customise to your interests
- Spectacular Wellington: Half Day Private Sightseeing Tour – key spots including views, cable car, and stories from locals
- Wellington city heights sightseeing Private 5 hour tour – key spots plus some extras – great if a bit short in time
- Cave to Coast Highlights Guided Tour – 5 hours of key spots including coast, cathedral and Weta Workshops
- Half Day Seal Coast Safari – for nature and outdoor lovers – coast and farmland!
- Original LOTR Full-Day Tour with Weta & Lunch – for Lord of the Rings fans!
1. Take your time at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum
Te Papa is a highly regarded national museum with interactive exhibits, incorporating both Māori and European perspectives, that was considered really ground-breaking when it opened in 1998. If you only go to one museum in NZ – this is it!
I highly recommend during your visit you go to “The Earthquake House” which is in the Te Taiao | Nature section of the museum. It is perfect for people who have never experienced an earthquake to get the feel of one – without any real danger. I also recommend that you don’t miss the Gallipoli exhibition either!
Get your entry ticket to Te Papa or book a guided intro tour with:
Entry ticket to Te Papa – Aotearoa New Zealand’s national museum
Te Papa Museum of NZ Intro Tour & General Admission
Full Day Guided Wellington Tour including guided tour at Te Papa
2. Take a free tour of the Beehive
This is another place that was considered ground-breaking at the time of its construction and opening in 1969–1977. It was seen as a highly original piece of architecture and design, particularly for government offices, at that time. It is definitely worth at least seeing the building from the outside, but a tour inside is very interesting. You can also see it on the $20 note.
The building is 10 stories high, with another four stories underground. There is a tunnel underneath Bowen Street from the Beehive to other parliamentary offices in Bowen House. You will also see some beautiful pieces of NZ art as well as interesting gifts from other countries in the building.
The top floor is the Cabinet Room, the next floor down the Prime Minister and key Ministers have their offices. There is a pool and gym, a small theatre, bars and cafes inside the building. If you go on a tour – try and make sure it includes the Library – my favorite part tbh! Do book ahead so you don’t miss out.
3. Visit some beautiful buildings built with native woods at Old St Pauls and Government House
Old St. Paul’s in Wellington is a gothic revival-style church built in 1866. It has beautiful interior arches made from native New Zealand woods like rimu and kauri. It is not far from the train station and you can easily walk there from the city. You can go on a tour but you have to organise that ahead, but entry is open from 10.00am to 4.00pm on a donation basis.
These day tours include Old St Pauls:
- Private Wellington Full Day Sightseeing Tour – all the top spots and you can customise to your interests
- Cave to Coast Highlights Guided Tour – 5 hours of key spots including coast, cathedral and Weta Workshops
The Government Buildings at 55 Lambton Quay is the first home of central government and the largest wooden building in New Zealand. It is a beautiful example of a colonial building built in much-prized native Kauri timber.
You are able to visit and see the displays on the ground floor and the Cabinet room on the first floor. You will see some interesting features like the hanging staircases and the restored fireplaces as well.
4. Get behind the scenes of film production on a Weta Workshop Tour or Lord of the Rings tour
Made famous by the Lord of the Rings – you can see how it was all done behind the scenes at Weta Workshops. Weta is used by film productions all over the world, so its interesting for anyone – not just for LoTR fans. (Of course if you are a LoTR fan you will see and hear about the making of the films too!) Do book ahead, these get booked out – especially if there is a cruise ship in town!
- Wētā Workshop Guided Transfers & Tour – with transport to and from the city center area
- Wētā Workshop Guided Tour Ticket
Of course some of the filming for Lord of The Rings was done in Wellington too, so you can visit those locations on a tour as well as the workshop.
5. Walk the Wellington Waterfront
If you have been to Te Papa, or even if you haven’t, you get a great taste of Wellington if you walk north to Frank Kitts Park from the museum but along the waterfront. You will find cafés and restaurants, markets, art installations, kids jumping off platforms into the water (in summer), playgrounds, nice views and just the general Wellington vibe! Don’t miss the city to sea bridge with its carvings. Definitely best in summer on a nice day!
Another great option is to walk in the opposite direction along the waterfront to Oriental Bay – see locals swimming and cycling, the water fountain out in the bay, the boat houses and grab a coffee from a cafe to sit on the beach and enjoy this popular spot.
6. Check out Cuba Street in the summer
In the summer this street comes alive with street performances, along with the arty shops and the excellent choice of cafes. the street also has a landmark bucket fountain. It can be verry variable depending on the day and the weather – but its worth including because on a good day its really quite vibrant!
Definitely pop into one of the many cafes on the street for a coffee and treats, also note that the Garage Project Craft Brewery (No. 9) is nearby too.
Note – make sure you get right up to the area between Abel Smith Street and Ghuznee Streets.
7. Ride the Wellington Cable Car and walk the Botanic Gardens
The other place to get to, after your walk along the waterfront maybe, is the iconic cable car. The cable car takes you from the city up to the Botanic Gardens and some fantastic city and harbor views. Of course plenty of walks are on offer too and the Botanic Gardens has some gorgeous spots. The Lady Norwood Rose Garden is the most famous! A popular thing to do is go to the Carter Observatory near the top of the cable car, and there is also a free little cable car museum to see.
Definitely good to get a ticket ahead if there is a cruise in town! Return Cable Car Ticket.
Note: you can get a shuttle to Zealandia from here too.
8. View the city from a lookout – Mount Victoria Lookout or the Brooklyn Wind Turbine
Mount Vic has the best, spectacular even, 360-degree view of the city and harbor! A visit at any time of day is good, but especially at sunset of course. You can either drive up or take one of the many paths through the trees from the city to get there.
There is more than just a lookout up there. You will find a prominent Māori pou whenua (pou) symbolizing the cultural significance of the area to local Māori. There is also a memorial to the American aviator Richard Byrd who set off on many Antarctic expeditions from his NZ base.
And if you are a LoTR fan then you will like to know that Mount Victoria was a filming location for the first movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here (on the Hobbits Hideaway Trail) terrified hobbits hid from Black Riders in dense forest undergrowth!!
Another option for views is to head to the Brooklyn Wind Turbine, which also has panoramic views and plenty of walking. Try both if you have the time!
City tours will take you to Mount Vic!
9. Quench your thirst at a craft brewery
As said earlier – there are heaps of craft beer breweries in the Welly area and they are known for their IPAs. Go on a tour and get the local insight with these guys :
Wellington Craft Beer & Brewery Half-Day Tour
Private Wellington Craft Beer Full Day Tour
Or you can go it alone and visit a brewery or two during your trip. These are a couple to get you started:
- Garage Project: Not that far from Cuba St (No. 6) These guys are famous for being experimental with an eclectic and constantly changing range of brews. Apart from the monthly hazy IPA, try things like Schnuckiputz – a Salted Grapefruit, Pink Pomelo & Coriander Gose. Or Pickle Beer Cucumber – a Dill Pickle Sour, or even, Aunt Sally’s Slice of Sunshine – Key Lime Pie Cream Sour!
- Fork and Brewer: City center near the waterfront and cable car (Nos. 5 &7). This is an award-winning brewpub with about 40 in-house brewed beers on tap. try things like the “Twilight Zone” lager or “Another forking hazy!”
10. Experience birds by day and kiwis by night at Zealandia Ecosanctuary
This urban fenced eco sanctuary has some of the best bird watching in the country – including kiwis and the rare takahē, as well as tuatara! Get to see kākā, tūī and wood pigeon alongside pīwakawaka (fantail), bellbirds and saddleback! These are essentially wild animals so nothing is guaranteed day or night. You can go on your own or take a tour during the day, and at night you can go on a tour to hunt for the elusive kiwi!
If you are a birder, get more detail about where to see what birds in “Bird watching in New Zealand – where to find 30 weird and wonderful birds.”
11. Go off the beaten track and see rare birds on Kapiti Island
While we are on the subject of birds, another key spot for bird watching in New Zealand, this time completely wild, is on Kapiti Island. It is a wonderful, and stunning, island where your guide will help you find some rarer native birds like the Little Spotted Kiwi, Takahē, Kōkako and the stitchbird. You will also see North Island Kākā, Kererū (wood pigeon), Weka, Tui, North Island Robin, Whitehead, Fantail (pīwakawaka), Bellbird, and Little Blue Penguins!
Try this Kapiti Island Classic Guided Day Tour from either Wellington or the Kapiti Coast. Alternatively go on this extremely highly rated Overnight Experience Tour on Kapiti Island!
12. Have a great half-day hike and fabulous views on the Escarpment Track
I think this is one of the best off the beaten tourist path day walks in NZs North Island!
9km one way – 4 hours
Link: Paekakariki Escarpment Track
To get there, take the train to Pukerua Bay station from Wellington train station. Then walk along the track to Paekākāriki. You can get the train back to Wellington from the Paekākāriki Station. The views across to the South Island and to Kapiti Island are absolutely worth the walk. Aside from that there are cool swing bridges, great train spotting points, and some stands of beautiful bush.
I recommend you walk from Pukerua as that makes for more downhill than in the opposite direction. The walk is steep in places with a lot of steps en-route but quite do-able. It is probably not good for people that have vertigo or really don’t like heights and swing bridges!
Note: There is a guided walk option for this track – Kāpiti Coast: Escarpment Track Guided Hiking Tour, Coffee and Lunch.
13. Drive the Miramar Peninsula with plenty of stops on the way
Get to the seaside suburbs of Wellington and see some coastline. My favorite option is to drive the Miramar peninsula. (If you don’t have a car, you can use buses and Uber to do this loop.)
Start with a drive to Miramar – famous for Weta Workshops, so its good to combine a visit to Weta with this drive. You will see the Wellington sign above as you drive into Miramar. Another point of interest in Miramar is Peter Jackson’s nicely restored art-deco style Roxy Cinema in the village. You will see a Gandalf statue close by as well. ‘Coco at the Roxy’ is a popular restaurant – best to book in advance to eat there though!
Then drive back to the start of the peninsula loop at Shelly Bay Road. Drive around the bay road. You will find the Massey Memorial Carpark not long before the point. If you are game for a short 10 minute walk to a great view, take the Massey Memorial and Anti Aircraft Battery Walk from here. (I would recommend to just go to the memorial and return.)
Carry on to the point and around to the other side of the peninsula to Scorching Bay. This is where you want to stop and eat or drink, or both, at Scorch-O-Rama cafe (photo above). Stroll the beach or have a swim too of course! Note that it can be very busy especially in weekends.
Carrying on you get to the suburb of Seatoun. Here you have a few options.
I love the walk up to “The Plateau” from the end of Ludlam Street. Just follow the boardwalk at the end of the street to the stony beach and turn right. Walk along there until you see steps leading up the cliff on your right. Take the steps and follow the track to the Oruaiti Reserve complete with Māori pou and a waka sculpture, and the Plateau – great views!
You can then walk down to Breaker Bay beach and through an archway back to the road that leads you back to Seatoun and your car. (This is definitely a nice choice – do note that it is a clothes optional beach but you don’t see many people here.) Or you can simply turn around and go back the way you came.
Back at your car, drive to Breaker Bay and continue around the coastline. The next stop is at Wahine Memorial Park. The memorial is in memory of the Wahine disaster when one of the ferries sank in 1968 and 51 lives were lost. On a sunny day enjoy the wild coastline and the views to the South Island.
Just a bit further on, on the other side of the road, is a carpark and the start of the Eastern Walkway. (No. 14 below.) Park here and take the short walk up the hill to the Ataturk Memorial for fantastic views to the South Island and the mountains – on a sunny clear day!
The memorial was the New Zealand response to the commemorative site at Anzac Cove which the Turkish government renamed from Ari Burnu in honor of the Australian and New Zealand men that fell there (including my great-uncle) during WWI. Ataturk’s famous speech is inscribed at the memorial. It is worth reading as this is something very strongly ingrained in the national psyche.
He is beloved by kiwis and Aussies for this, and the Turks do an incredible job at Gallipoli every year with a huge ANAZC day service and memorial. It is worth going to even if you are not a kiwi or Aussie! ANZAC day is on the 25th April and is our memorial / remembrance day – not the 11 November as in Europe.
You may want to do the Eastern Walkway as well which goes from Branda Pass – on the hill over to Seatoun. If you do, you can add that on to the end of you r walk up to the Oruaiti Reserve.
14. Feel a bit of the NZ psyche on the Eastern Walkway and the Ataturk memorial
On the Miramar peninsula is this great walk which I think deserves a spot of its own. If you don’t want a walk you can just go to the Ataturk Memorial for the views and to read his famous words.
The Eastern Walkway takes about 1.5 – 2 hours.
Start either at the Pass of Branda between Seatoun and Breaker Bay at the top of Inglis Street, or at the carpark at Tarakena Bay on Great Harbour Way. Or do it as a loop.
If you start at Tarakena Bay, first walk up to the impressive Ataturk memorial which looks out over Cook Strait to the South Island. Take in the superb views.
Continue on along the tops to Seatoun.
You can do the walk in either direction – it just easier if you have 2 cars or are happy to do a round loop using the road or track to return. Otherwise there is an occasional bus (30X) which you can use.
15. A favorite of mine off the beaten path – take the ferry to Somes Island
Somes Island sits in the middle of Wellington Harbor and is a nature reserve successfully being home to some of New Zealand’s rarer creatures! It also has beautiful walks and views of the city and is a perfect place for a day out!
Get the East by West ferry from the Meridian Building (Waterside), 55 Lady Elizabeth Lane, Queens Wharf, Wellington.
It is a really interesting island with wildlife, history – the old quarantine buildings explain the history of the island and its many stories, native forest and bush, and 360 views around Wellington and its harbor.
You can do the 2.1km Somes Island Loop Walk – in about 40 mins if you are not stopping – but you should be!
The best part is that, since pests were eradicated, the island has become a successful sanctuary for native plants and animals. This includes tuatara, kakariki, North Island robin, little blue penguins and weta. Keep your eyes open and looking for all these!
Note: Ask the rangers where you might see tuatara – or look in sunny spots where they are often seen sunbathing. No guarantee but….for the tuataras alone it is definitely one of the best short walks in the North Island.
Wellington Mini Itinerary (2 Days)
- Day 1: City tour Private Wellington Full Day Sightseeing Tour / Spectacular Wellington: Half Day Private Sightseeing Tour / Wellington city heights sightseeing Private 5 hour tour
or
Te Papa Museum, Waterfront stroll, see The Beehive and Old St Pauls, Cable Car & Botanic Garden, craft brewery. - Day 2: Zealandia or Te Papa Museum and Waterfront stroll, Mount Victoria lookout, Miramar peninsula, cafe and Ataturk Memorial.
Wellington Mini Itinerary (3-4 Days)
- Day 1: City tour Private Wellington Full Day Sightseeing Tour / Spectacular Wellington: Half Day Private Sightseeing Tour / Wellington city heights sightseeing Private 5 hour tour
- Day 2: Te Papa Museum, Waterfront stroll, a Beehive tour and Old St Pauls tour if you can fit it in. Craft brewery
- Day 3: Zealandia, Mount Victoria lookout, Miramar peninsula, cafe, and Ataturk Memorial
- Day 4: Kapiti Island, or the Escarpment Track, or Somes Island (in summer)
FAQs – frequently asked questions
Q: How many days are needed in Wellington?
A: 2–3 days is ideal for museums, cultural sites, and scenic walks.
Q: I’m on a cruise and only have a day – what should I do?
A: I recommend a city tour Wellington city heights sightseeing Private 5 hour tour or Cave to Coast Highlights Guided Tour. If you have time left over after that, visit Te Papa or take a walk along the waterfront or Oriental Bay.
Q: What’s the weather like in Wellington?
A: Well, its famous for its wind! But its not that rainy – just windy. However, you can get out of the wind and a lot of these recommended things to so in Wellington will give you shelter from it. On a fine day without wind it is hard to beat!
Q: Is Wellington good for families?
A: Yes, attractions like Te Papa Museum, the Cable Car, and Zealandia are all family-friendly. And the city walks are generally easy and fun too – especially the waterfront.
Q: Where is a good place to stay?
A: Its good to be in the city, but if you have a car you can easily go further afield. See below for a range of highly rated places to stay at different price points.
Where to stay in Wellington
Higher End – Ohtel Wellington, the Boulcott Suites, or for luxury – The Residence Suite at Bolton Hotel
Mid Range – The Intrepid Hotel, or Quest 256 Lambton, or Sojourn Apartment Hotel, or The Cobbler Hotel
Budget – Gilmer Apartment Hotel, or, Adina Citylife Wellington
Backpackers – Worldwide Backpackers, or, The Marion