Wellington (North Island, New Zealand)

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Country Info (New Zealand)

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Wellington is a picture perfect city set between a magnificent harbour and rolling green hills. It is also a compact city where funky shops, exciting galleries and great restaurants are within easy walking distance.

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and it offers an unforgettable city experience in a natural setting. It is located between a beautiful harbour and rolling green hills. Wellington has excellent shopping, professional theatre and cafes and restaurants all close to untouched nature spots. Wellington is only two km wide so it can be explored easily on foot.

Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum is on the waterfront. Walk to Te Papa from a central city restaurant and stop at a local fashion store or an art gallery on the way.

Wellington is the arts and culture capital of New Zealand. Festivals and events are held here throughout the year. A highlight is the bi-annual New Zealand Festival - a month long arts festival. Wellington is for nature lovers as well as arts and culture enthusiasts.

The South Coast is one of Wellington's most beautiful places. Visit the New Zealand fur seal colony or just watch the waves.

Mountain bike through native bush at Makara Peak, or kayak out to Scorching Bay - the choice is yours.

Discover New Zealand's heritage in Wellington. The city is home to Parliament Buildings as well as many historic buildings and museums which tell the story of New Zealand.

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Wellington is situated on the southern tip of the North Island of New Zealand.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Central Wellington is only 2 kilometres in diameter, you can walk from one side to the other in under 20 minutes.

Wellington Airport is the busiest in New Zealand for domestic scheduled flights and is only 15 minutes drive from central Wellington.

Wellington Zoo is the oldest in New Zealand.

The Old Government Buildings are the largest wooden buildings ever constructed in the Southern hemisphere.

Te Papa has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the most ambitiously eclectic museums in the world".

Wellington has more restaurants, bars and cafes per head than New York with over 350 eateries.

Wellington is the culture capital of New Zealand. It is the home of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, National Opera and the National dance and drama schools who all perform regularly.

Three professional theatres offer audiences a range from alternative to Pacific Island, New Zealand or international productions. There's a live show every night in Wellington.

Wellington's central business area is divided into four quarters. These reflect the city's four distinct flavours. All are within easy walking distance of each other.

There is concentrated shopping and indulgence in the Lambton Quarter, intellectual and lifestyle shopping in the Willis Quarter, funky and innovative shopping in the Cuba Quarter and sheer entertainment in the Courtenay Quarter.

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Population: 4.035.500
Languages: English, Maori (both official)
Currency: New Zealand dollar
Currency code: NZD
Local Times:
New Zealand - Auckland

New Zealand - Chatham Island

New Zealand - Wellington

Country Dialling Code: +64
Voltage: 240V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
Flat prongs, inverted 'V' positioned with earth connector

Flat prongs, inverted 'V' positioned with earth connector

It's been Middle Earth and Narnia in the movies but New Zealand's beautiful landscapes are no fantasy.

With a varied and dramatic landscape, a long and significant cultural heritage, and some of the world's rarest and most fascinating plant and animal species, New Zealand is an ideal adventure travel destination. Take a trip here and discover why New Zealand has it all - from flightless birds to breaching whales and breathtaking fjords to erupting geysers.

New Zealand comes with a reputation as a unique land packed with magnificent, raw scenery : craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches, primeval forests, snow-capped alpine mountains, bubbling volcanic pools, fast-flowing rivers and glacier-fed lakes, all beneath a brilliant blue sky. The far north is a subtropical haven of unspoilt beaches, citrus fruits and hibiscus flowers, while volcanic mud pools and geysers feature in the central part of North Island. The South Island boasts whale watching, ice glaciers and rugged snow-covered Alps. And yes, there are many wide-open spaces.

What's more, everything is easily accessible, packed into a land area little larger than Britain and with a population of just 3.8 million, over half of it tucked away in the three largest cities : Auckland, the capital Wellington, and the South Island's Christchurch. Elsewhere, you can travel miles through steep-hilled farmland and rarely see a soul, and there are even remote spots which, it's reliably contended, no human has ever visited.

Geologically, New Zealand split off from the super-continent of Gondwanaland early, developing a unique ecosystem in which birds adapted to fill the role normally held by mammals, many becoming flightless through lack of predators.

Only in the last couple of decades has New Zealand come of age and developed a true national self-confidence, something partly forced on it by Britain severing the colonial apron strings in the early 1970s, and partly by the resurgence of Maori identity. Maori demands have been nurtured by a willingness on the part of most pakeha to redress the wrongs perpetrated over the last century and a half, as long as it doesn't impinge on their high standard of living or overall feeling of control. More recently, integration has been replaced with a policy of promoting two cultures alongside each other, but with maximum interaction. In this way New Zealand is set to forge through the new century with considerable dignity and a good deal of uncertainty.

The British represent the second largest group of visitors to New Zealand - after neighbouring Australia. But at 12,000 miles away from the UK it's a once-in-a-lifetime destination for many and takes a bit of planning.

Most British travellers either tack New Zealand on to the end of an Australian holiday and regret not having enough time, or take two or three weeks and race around like mad to see the whole country. While New Zealand is small enough to 'do' in that time, a more enjoyable option is to spend longer at just a few places - and then you have an excuse to go back!