The friendly and fun capital of New Zealand

The New Zealand capital Wellington is located in a stunning natural harbour, backed by verdant hills and mountains beyond. Named after Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, the city lies on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. Wellington is an attractive city with a variety of architectural styles including late Georgian colonial buildings and more modern art deco structures. Wellington has lots of museums and galleries and has developed an excellent reputation as a centre for filmmaking, thanks to the recent success of films such as Lord of the Rings and Avatar, which were made in Wellington. The city has a strong café culture and a diverse gastronomic style, combining cooking from Europe, Asia and Polynesia. Festivals take place throughout the year in Wellington celebrating music, fashion, comedy, theatre and of course, cinema.

Why Go?
Wellington is a sophisticated and refined harbour city with a vibrant music scene and a pleasant café culture driven by the Kiwis’ great love of coffee! Wellington has museums and galleries, as well as an adventurous spirit for outdoor activities such as wreck diving, walking tours, horse trekking and mountain biking.

When to Go?
New Zealand is a naturally beautiful country, so there is something new to experience in every season. For the warmest weather visit Wellington during their summer, between November and February, when you can get outside to enjoy the hills, mountains and parkland, and even go wreck diving off the coast. Temperatures are never excessively hot or cold in Wellington, but cold winds do strike the city in winter.

How to get there?
Despite being the capital, flights to Wellington are surprisingly limited. Air New Zealand offers flights to Wellington International Airport (WLG) via Auckland, which also includes a refuelling stop in either Hong Kong or Los Angeles. It is sometimes more cost effective to book a round-the-world ticket and make scheduled stop-offs in places such as Hong Kong, Sydney, Honolulu and Los Angeles.

Must see
Wellington is very much a city where you can do things as well as see things. In the heart of the civic square, the City Gallery Wellington features world-class exhibitions of art from around the world. Wellington Botanic Garden is a must-see 26-hectare expanse of forest, bush land, floral displays and beautiful gardens. Organised tours of Wellington are a good way to experience as much of the city as possible, including the film-making area dubbed "Wellywood", and the beautiful natural coastline.