Wellington

New Zealand·Oceania

Currency

NZD

Language

English, Maori

Timezone

Auckland

Continent

Oceania

Our guide

Discover Wellington

Wellington is the southernmost capital in the world and sits in an amphitheatre of hills around its harbour. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, on the waterfront, is the national museum: free, it tells New Zealand from its geology to the Treaty of Waitangi, and it is the first thing to do. Parliament, whose round wing is universally called the Beehive, is open to visitors. The Wellington Museum occupies an 1892 harbour warehouse. The Wellington Botanic Garden covers the hillside, and the Kelburn cable car climbs to it from Lambton Quay.

When to go

December to March, the southern summer: twenty degrees, long days, festivals. Autumn, March to May, is often the calmest and clearest. Winter does not freeze but is wet and windy. Wind is the city's defining trait: Wellington is among the windiest capitals in the world, and a still day is an event people mention.

Getting around

The centre is walked entirely — this is a capital of two hundred thousand people and everything is twenty minutes away. The cable car links the centre to the botanic garden, and walking back down through the garden is the classic outing. Metlink buses cover the rest with a Snapper card. Suburban trains serve the Hutt Valley. The airport is eight kilometres out and its landing has a reputation.

Where to eat

Wellington has the country's highest density of cafés and restaurants, and its specialty coffee is a serious business — the flat white is defended here as a local invention. Seafood is excellent, crayfish especially. Malaysian, Vietnamese and Indian cooking is strongly present on Cuba Street. Four halal addresses are listed. Craft breweries are many.

Good to know

The New Zealand dollar is the currency and cards work everywhere, including for very small amounts. Ten sites and museums are free, Te Papa first among them. Tipping is not customary. The sun burns quickly despite the mild temperature: the UV index is among the highest in the world. A windbreaker is more use than an umbrella, which the wind turns inside out anyway.

Smart Planning