Rent Serviced Apartments in Wellington

Facts About Wellington 

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, nestled at the southwestern point of North Island between the Remutaka Range and Cook Strait. It is the administrative hub for the Wellington Region with a temperate maritime climate and is also the windiest city in the world. Here are some more interesting facts about Wellington: 

• Wellington did not have a defined position as the New Zealand capital via legislative measures. The metropolitan area has four authorities, namely Wellington City, Porirua City, Lower Hutt City and the Upper Hutt City. They are majorly suburban areas together called the Hutt Valley. 
• The New Zealand Government and Parliament along with the Supreme Court and other public services are based here from 1865 onwards. 
• The Government Buildings represent some of the world’s largest wooden buildings while the famous Beehive is the executive wing. 
• Wellington houses some of New Zealand’s oldest and biggest cultural institutions like the National Archives, National Library and Museum of New Zealand. 
• The 2016 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington as 12th in the whole world. 

Wellington has a service-based economy that emphasizes greatly upon business services, finance and government sectors. It is also home to the film and special effects industries along with information technology and academic research. 

Wellington is one of the major seaports in New Zealand while being home to the Wellington International Airport, the country’s third busiest airport. 

Cost of Living in Wellington 

Meals at restaurants usually cost around NZ$12-90 while one-way transportation tickets are priced at somewhere around NZ$3-.6.50. Monthly passes come for NZ$150. Basic utility costs stand at approximately NZ$180.25 while rentals hover between NZ$1,800-4,000. 

Tips for Visiting Wellington

Here are some useful tips for visiting Wellington that you should keep in mind: 

• New Zealand is a safe country but you should still avoid walking alone late at night and keep valuables locked up as much as possible. 
• Emergencies require travelers to call 111 for ambulance services, the police department or fire department. 
• Local i-SITEs are present in every city or town. This is where you will get brochures, maps and all vital details about the location that you are going through. 
• The summer is ideal for exploration while autumn is quite comfortable as well. Spring is avoidable since it is overtly windy. 
• Intercity buses travel through all major destinations. Travel times are longer for shorter distances owing to the nature of the roads. 
• Even if you rent a bike, you should stay away from open roads and wear a helmet as a mandatory norm. 
• Learn proper etiquette before going to a marae. 
• Tipping is an exception and not common although 10% is a good figure to start with. 

Things to Do in Wellington 

There are several things to do in Wellington that you should take a closer at. 

Q1. What are the most popular things to do in Wellington? 

The popular things to do in Wellington include Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington Waterfront, Oriental Bay, Cuba Street, Te Papa Museum and the Wellington Cable Car. 

Q1. What are some free things to do in Wellington? 

Some free things to do in Wellington include Te Papa, Weta Cave at Miramar, Botanic Gardens, Frank Kitt’s Park and Marine Education Center at the Island Bay. 

Q2. Does Wellington have many romantic attractions? 

Wellington has several romantic activities on offer for visitors including kayaking through the Wellington Harbor at night, hiring a bike together, viewing a show at the Circa Theater, enjoying cocktails, walking along the Oriental Bay and cruising to the Matiu Somes Island. 

Q3. What are the most family-friendly things to do in Wellington? 

Family-friendly activities in Wellington include visiting the Te Papa Museum, taking a cable car ride, enjoying the splendid views from the top of Mount Victoria, checking the Weta Workshop and exploring the Zealandia sanctuary. 

Q4. What are the more unusual things to do in Wellington? 

Wellington offers several unusual activities and attractions including Te Papa’s Colossal Squid, the National Tattoo Museum, mechanical musical clock at the Old Bank Arcade, Mrs Chippy, Wrights Hill Fortress and Botanic Gardens. 

Places to Visit in Wellington 

There are numerous places that you can visit in Wellington including the following: 

• Te Papa – Te Papa is a wonderful National Museum where you can learn more about the rich geography and history of New Zealand along with discovering fascinating insights about the native population and viewing attractive exhibits and multimedia displays alike. 
• Mount Victoria – Take a bus and reach the lookout point over Mount Victoria. You can enjoy fabulous 360 degree views over the city of Wellington as a result. 
• Cable Car Rides – Venture to Lambton Quay and take a cable car upwards to the Botanic Gardens. This will be a fun and adventurous experience indeed. 
• Waterfront Walks – Wellington possesses a lovely waterfront zone, filled with beaches, boat docks and cafes. You can go sailing and kayaking in the harbor as well. 
• Parliament – Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and you will find various important Government structures here. You can take an enriching free tour of the Parliament if you wish. The Executive Wing is worth visiting and is called The Beehive. 
• Cuba Street – Cuba Street is a fantastic destination to come across charming cafes and shopping zones with a vibrant and colorful vibe of its own. 

• Weta Cave – The Weta Cave at Miramar will give you a thrilling glimpse into the movie industry of New Zealand. This is the country where the iconic Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings movies, lives after all. 

Places to Eat in Wellington 

Wellington is home to numerous good places to eat including Fidel’s which is situated along Cuba Street and The Matterhorn which offers fantastic tapas. Sweet Mother’s Kitchen lies along Courtenay Place, offering great Cajun delights. Monsoon Poon, Café Polo and Maranui Café are other wonderful options that true-blue foodies should certainly try. Burger Fuel is another great food joint where you will have a swell time! 

Street Food in Wellington 

Wellington is known for its abundance of tasty and delicious street food and its thriving café circuit. It is known for its iconic coffeehouses and famous cafes and you should try the Deluxe Expresso Bar which started in the year 1988. Wellington street food comprises of cuisines from Asia, Polynesia and Europe as well. Some dishes have signature New Zealand styles while you can enjoy bluff oysters, lamb, pork, venison or cervena along with crayfish (lobster), salmon, paua (abalone), Bluff oysters, tuatua and pipis (shellfish from New Zealand), scallops, mussels, pavlova, which is the national dessert, kumara or sweet potato and kiwifruit. 

Shopping in Wellington 

Shopping zones in Wellington means frequenting hubs like Cuba Street which is packed with departmental and designer stores along with the Queensgate Shopping Center, Caughley, Madame Fancy Pants, Wanda Harland, Goodness, Cranfields, Zambesi, Simply New Zealand and the City Market. 

Transportation in Wellington 

Wellington has its Urban Motorway which links Porirua to the Wellington City in tandem with the non-motorway Ngauranga Gorge extension. Bus transportation is available courtesy of numerous operators plying under the Metlink brand. Buses cover almost all zones in Wellington City and they cover the Golden Mile to Courtenay Place from the Wellington Railway Station. There are 9 trolleybus routes that ran till October, 2017. 

Wellington is connected to the North Island Main Trunk railway and the Wairarapa Line alike. They fuse at the Wellington railway station in the northern tip of central Wellington. Long-distance services from Wellington are the Capital Connection for those coming from Palmerston North and the Northern Explorer which runs till Auckland.

There are four electrified suburban lines venturing from the Wellington railway station till the outer suburbs till the north of the city. The Johnsonville Line goes through the hillside suburbs northwards from central Wellington and the Kapiti Line goes to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast along the NIMT through Porirua and also Paraparumu. The Melling Line goes to Lower Hutt through Petone while the Hutt Valley Line is also accessible through Waterloo and Taita till Upper Hutt via the Wairarapa Line. 

The Wairarapa Connection is a diesel carriage service linking daily till Masterton in the Wairarapa through the Rimutaka Tunnel which covers 8.8 kilometers. These five services carry a whopping 11.64 million passengers annually combined. Wellington is also a port for the Cook Strait ferries going till Picton in the South Island, that are provided by Interislander which is state-owned and also Bluebridge which is private.

Local ferries link the city center in Wellington with Seatoun and Eastbourne. The Wellington International Airport lies 6 kilometers south-eastwards from the city center. It is serviced by flights throughout New Zealand along with other destinations like Singapore, Australia and Fiji.  

Weather in Wellington 

Wellington has comfortable summers with wet and cold winters. The best time to visit Wellington is between early in January and the middle of March. Temperatures usually range between 45 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. They mostly stay above 38 degrees Fahrenheit and do not usually surpass 74 degrees Fahrenheit here.