Things to do in Wellington

45 places worth stopping for and 24 places to stay on a road trip through Wellington.

See and do

Walk · Cape Palliser
Pūtangirua Pinnacles
A stream valley of eroded gravel spires, used as the Paths of the Dead in the Lord of the Rings.
Wildlife · Karori
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne
A fenced valley where kākā, tūī, tuatara and other rare native birds live free, minutes from the CBD.
Museum · Wellington
Te Papa Tongarewa
New Zealand's national museum, free to enter, right on the waterfront.
History · Cape Palliser
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
Climb 250 or so steps to the red and white lighthouse at the bottom of the North Island.
History · Castlepoint
Castlepoint Lighthouse and reef
Climb the headland to a lighthouse above Castle Rock and a long, calm lagoon.
Wildlife · Paraparaumu Beach
Kāpiti Island nature reserve
A predator-free island 5 km offshore, home to kiwi, kākā and takahē, reached by boat.
Walk
Walk · Owhiro BayHidden gem
Red Rocks Coastal Walk
Easy coastal track along the wild south coast to red volcanic rocks and a fur seal haul-out.
Viewpoint · Wellington
Mount Victoria Lookout
Short drive up from town for a 360-degree look over the harbour, airport and Cook Strait.
Wildlife · WainuiomataHidden gem
Turakirae Head seal colony
A bouldery coast where fur seals haul out, and a place where raised beach ridges show past earthquakes.
Wildlife
Wildlife · Cape Palliser
Cape Palliser seal colony
A rocky shoreline just off the road where fur seals sit out, close to the lighthouse.
Beach
Beach · MākaraHidden gem
Mākara Beach
Rugged west coast black-sand beach with surf, a driftwood shore and a decent sunset.
Garden · Kelburn
Wellington Botanic Garden and Cable Car
Ride the red cable car up and wander the gardens and rose garden back down to the CBD.
Viewpoint
Viewpoint · KaroriHidden gem
Makara Peak summit viewing deck
A short climb in the mountain bike park to a lookout over the west coast and Cook Strait.
Beach · Eastbourne
Days Bay
Sheltered harbour beach with a historic pavilion, easiest by the ferry from town.
History · EastbourneHidden gem
Old Pencarrow Lighthouse
New Zealand's first permanent lighthouse, reached on a flat gravel ride or walk along the harbour mouth.
History · WainuiomataHidden gem
Baring Head Lighthouse
Wild coast lighthouse reached by a gravel road and a short walk, with views across Cook Strait.
Roadside oddity · MastertonHidden gem
Stonehenge Aotearoa
A full-scale astronomical henge built on a Wairarapa hillside, with a sundial and stone circle.
Walk · CastlepointHidden gem
Castlepoint reef and fossils
Walk the reef at low tide and see fossils in the limestone.
Museum · Paraparaumu
Southward Car Museum
A huge private collection of classic and rare vehicles.
Activity · Miramar
Wētā Workshop
Behind-the-scenes tour of the workshop that made props for the Lord of the Rings films.
Walk · Featherston
Rimutaka Rail Trail
Walk or ride the old railway incline over the Remutaka range, with tunnels and old bridges.
Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · NgawiHidden gem
Ngawi fishing boats and bulldozers
A fishing village where old bulldozers haul the boats up the beach.
Winery
Winery · Martinborough
Ata Rangi winery
One of Martinborough's founding pinot noir producers, with a small cellar door.
Walk
Walk · Masterton
Mount Holdsworth lookout track
A steady climb from the Holdsworth campsite to a lookout over the Wairarapa plains.
Walk
Walk · Upper Hutt
Kaitoke Regional Park (Rivendell site)
River swimming holes and bush walks, and the site that played Rivendell in the Lord of the Rings.
Wildlife
Wildlife · WaikanaeHidden gem
Ngā Manu Nature Reserve
Small Kapiti reserve with kea, kaka, tuatara and a night house with kiwi, under swamp forest.
Swimming hole
Swimming hole · Upper Hutt
Kaitoke Regional Park river swimming
Riverside swimming holes on the Hutt River in a regional park, near Upper Hutt.
Viewpoint
Viewpoint · MartinboroughHidden gem
Hau Nui wind farm lookout
Gravel hill road to a wind farm lookout over the Wairarapa coast and Palliser Bay.
Roadside oddity · BrooklynHidden gem
Brooklyn wind turbine
Wellington's first big wind turbine, up on the hill with views of the south coast and the city.
Museum · Featherston
Fell Locomotive Museum
Home to the world's only surviving Fell engine, built to haul trains over the Rimutaka Incline.
Winery
Winery · Martinborough
Palliser Estate
A large Martinborough winery with a cellar door and a lawn for lunch.
Wildlife · Akatarawa Valley
Staglands Wildlife Reserve
A hands-on animal park in the Akatarawa valley with friendly deer, goats and native birds.
Museum · Paekākāriki
Wellington Tramway Museum
Ride vintage trams along a short track in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Activity · Upper Hutt
Silver Stream Railway
Volunteer-run heritage steam trains running on weekends.
Viewpoint · Khandallah
Mount Kaukau lookout
The city's TV mast hill, with a steady climb and a huge view over the harbour and the hills.
Wildlife
Wildlife · Newtown
Wellington Zoo
Compact hillside zoo in Newtown with a strong conservation focus, easy from the city.
Activity
Activity · Lambton Quay
Wellington Cable Car and Cable Car Museum
The red funicular up to Kelburn; a ten-minute kid favourite with a small museum at the top.
Gallery · Masterton
Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History
A small regional gallery with a good mix of local art and Wairarapa history.
Museum · Masterton
Wool Shed National Museum of Sheep and Shearing
A museum covering sheep farming, shearing and wool, in a shearing-shed style building.
Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Ōtaki BeachHidden gem
Ōtaki River estuary viewing platform
A quiet platform over the river mouth for watching wading birds.
Viewpoint · Featherston
Remutaka Hill summit lookout
The stop at the top of the Remutaka Hill road, with views down to Wairarapa and across to Wellington.
Museum · Greytown
Cobblestones Museum
Old Wairarapa life in a set of heritage buildings, with a Cobb & Co coach.
Garden
Garden · Masterton
Queen Elizabeth Park (Masterton)
Masterton's town park with a big playground, miniature railway, lake and gardens.
Museum
Museum · Queens Wharf
Wellington Museum
Maritime and city history museum in the 1892 Bond Store on the waterfront.
History
History · PoriruaHidden gem
Gear Homestead
A heritage-listed 1887 homestead in Aotea, Porirua, now a restaurant and bar.

Food stops

Places to stay

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