Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is situated between a dramatic harbour and bush hills. It is a truly cosmopolitan place which offers a huge range of culinary experiences, nightlife and artistic culture from all over the world.
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Most of Wellington is built on the foreshore and the precipitous hills overlooking a magnificent harbour, fringed by beaches, marinas and warehouses. The inner city is an energetic mix of historic stone buildings and modern structures, while the suburbs are a combination of grand residential villas and modern commercial buildings. In the city centre the Parliamentary District is the architectural masterpiece of Wellington where you will find the Old Government Building, the second largest wooden building in the world, the unmistakable modernist Beehive.
If you are in love with history then Wellington is the city of your interest. Museum of Wellington and Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum of New Zealand and "the place of treasures of this land", offer insight in to the history, culture and artistic expression of Wellington. Carter Observatory, a planetarium and science centre may be of your interest too, but if you are more than anything else in love with cricket like Wellingtonian, spend the afternoon in National Cricket Museum.
Eastern of the city centre is Mount Victoria, the windiest Wellington's viewpoint. A narrow winding road runs up from Oriental Bay to the Byrd Memorial below the viewing platform. From there you may enjoy in magnificent panorama of the city, the harbour, Cook Strait, Hutt Valley and Kelburn Park.
Less than 10 minutes walking from central Wellington there is The Karori Sanctuary Experience where you can meet many unique and endangered native animals living in the untouched nature. There you can the creatures you saw only on TV such as spotted kiwi, hihi or tuatara. For those who are addicted to adrenaline and have no fear of deep blue sea, the frigate Wellington, one of the most accessible dive wrecks in the world, is a must for every professional or amateur diver.
One of the most popular Wellington's tourist attractions certainly is the cable car which takes people to the lookout at Kelburn, where there is a beautiful view over the city and across the harbour. Visitors can either take a return journey or walk back down through the beautifully landscaped Botanic Gardens. Expectedly, at the top terminus there is the small Cable Car Museum explaining its history.
Only twenty minutes from the centre of Wellington is Makara, a small farming/lifestyle area worth to visit. The popular Makara Beach is a great place to be in a southerly wind when other Wellington Beaches are being battered. It has two historical churches, St Matthias (Anglican built 1920) and St Patrick's (formerly Catholic, now non denominational built 1873), both usually opened in the weekends for visitors.
Probably the most exciting months to visit Wellington are February and March, when the city hosts three festivals: the annual Wellington Fringe Festival, a carnival along the lines of the Edinburgh Festival; the biennial International Festival of the Arts, a month-long celebration that draws the best international acts in opera, theatre and music; and the annual Dragon Boat Festival which attracts huge crowds to the inner harbour.
The making of the movie "Lord of the Rings" has brought a boom in the number of people taking a holiday in Wellington where the film was produced. It is a truly cosmopolitan place which offers a huge range of culinary experiences, so find some cute restaurant and taste the traditional cuisine of New Zealand and of countries around the world. And when you need refreshing go to Shakespeare Tavern Brewery with the motto: "Two beers or not two beers?" That would be the perfect end of the day. ■
