Wellington CityPhotos |
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Information |
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Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand. The city is built around a magnificent harbour with suburbs extending up and over the fringing steep hills and reaching the southern
coastline. Northward expansion of the city extends into the Hutt Valley and
along the south-western coastline of the North Island.
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, including parks, shops, and New Zealand's National Museum called Te Papa. Lonely Planet dubbed Wellington, the "coolest little capital in the world" and the city regularly ranks high in quality of life surveys as one of the world's most livable cities.
The city offers great views from almost everywhere. There are lookouts that offer special views over the harbour and
surrounding countryside. One popular lookout is accessible by a cable car
that takes you from Lambton Quay, (New Zealand's busiest shopping street) to the beautiful Botanical gardens in the hills above the city. At the top you
are rewarded with a great view of the city and harbour and the the Rimutaka mountain range in the distance. Another popular and accessible lookout that
offers probably the best view of all, is Mount Victoria with 360 degrees views of the city, harbour, and the Hutt Valley.
The highest of all lookouts, is Hawkins Hill, located behind the suburb of Brooklyn. It is one of the windiest places in the world and the location of a huge wind turbine is testament to this.
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 many 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 a little more remote and provides beaches suitable for swimming and surfing.
Wellington also offers
many great walks such as the Northern and Southern Walkways. For more remote
walks or treks you can visit the Rimutaka Forest Park or the Tararua Mountains. Both areas offer mountain scenery as well as pristine temperate
rain and beech forests. Each area can be reached in under one 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.
More Wellington City photos |
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Original versions of our photos can be purchased & web versions can be shared subject to conditions.