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Wellington
is the Capital of New Zealand. The city is built around a magnificent harbour
and the suburbs extend up and over steep hills until you reach the southern
coastline. Northward expansion of the city extends into the Hutt Valley and
along the western coastline.
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Wellington prides itself
on the fact that it is a cultural and arts centre, and offers an abundance
of quality restaurants and cafes. The city centre is lively and offers a wide
range of shopping, nightlife and entertainment. Wellington's
waterfront also has many facilities to enjoy, there are parks, shops and New
Zealand's National Museum called Te Papa. Te Papa
is best described as a maze of attractions about New Zealand. The exhibits
themselves range from the more traditional to virtual and interactive exhibits
that educate and entertain.
The city has some great lookouts that offer expansive views over the harbour and surrounding countryside. One popular lookout is accessible by a cable car that takes you from Lambton Quay, which is New Zealand's busiest shopping area to the beautiful Botanical gardens high above the city. At the top you are rewarded with a great view of the city and harbour. The Rimutaka mountains can be seen in the distance too. Another popular and accessible lookout that offers probably the best view of all, is Mount Victoria. This lookout gives you 360 degrees views of the city, harbour and the Hutt Valley. The highest of all lookouts, is located behind the suburb of Brooklyn. It is called Hawkins Hill and is also one of the windiest places in the world. The wind is harnessed by a huge wind turbine.
Wellington is called the
windy city and it is a well deserved name. Winter and Spring are the windy
seasons and the city is often blasted by winds well over 100 km/h, and can
peak up to 170 km/h. By the time summer arrives the winds die down, and Wellington
experiences a lot of sunny days.
One of the great things about Wellington is that everything is accessible. From the city, you can drive to the closest beach in under 5 minutes by car, and even the more remote beaches on the south coast can be reached within 20 minutes. The south coast is very rocky and mountainous, but contains some nice beaches near Houghton Bay. Lyall Bay near the airport is popular with surfers and wave skis. Scorching Bay and Days Bay are beaches found inside the harbour itself, both beaches are scenic and provide some nice cafes nearby. The western coastline is more remote and provides great beaches for swimming and surfing.
Wellington also offers many great walks such as the Northern and Southern Walkways. For more remote walks or tramps (treks) you can visit the Rimutaka Forest Park or the Tararua Mountains. Both areas offer mountain scenery as well as pristine temperate rain forest and Beech forests. Both the Rimutaka Forest Park and Tararua's can be reached in under 1 hour by car.
Wellington is also the essential departure point for the South Island. In fact you can actually see the South Island quite clearly on a fine day from Wellington's south coast. Ferry's depart daily and the trip takes between 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on what boat you take.
For information about the Wellington region click here.
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