Things to do
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Mount Victoria
A road and several bush tracks climb to a lookout above the eastern suburbs, with the harbour, the airport runway and the strait laid out below. Signposted paths through the pines are shared with runners and mountain bikers. Wind at the top can be severe, and the walk up from Oriental Bay takes about forty minutes.
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Te Papa
New Zealand's national museum holds Māori taonga, a preserved colossal squid and galleries on the country's natural history across several floors on the waterfront. Marae and treaty exhibits sit alongside a simulated earthquake house that children queue for. Entry to the permanent galleries is free, short term shows are ticketed, and half a day barely covers the building.
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Wellington Cable Car
Red cars have climbed from Lambton Quay to Kelburn since 1902, rising through tunnels to a lookout over the harbour in about five minutes. At the top are the Botanic Garden, a small museum of the old winding gear and the Space Place observatory. Walking back down through the garden is the usual way to finish.
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Zealandia
A predator proof fence rings a valley of regenerating forest ten minutes from the centre, where kākā, takahē, tuatara and tīeke live wild within the city. Day walks follow lake and ridge tracks; night tours find kiwi and glowworms and book out well ahead. Birds from the sanctuary have spread across surrounding suburbs, which is the measure of the project.
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Cuba Street
Second hand shops, record stores, bars and a bucket fountain that splashes passers by fill a pedestrian strip running uphill from the waterfront. The street carries much of the capital's late night trade and its coffee culture started here. Mornings are for the cafés, evenings for the small venues and theatres at the upper end.
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Wētā Workshop
Props, armour and creatures from the Lord of the Rings films and dozens of other productions are made in Miramar, and guided tours go through the workshops with the technicians who build them. Sessions are small, ticketed and timed, and photography is limited inside. A bus runs from the waterfront, taking about twenty minutes.
