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Top Places: Wellington city - includes, Parliament, Te Papa, Cable Car, Civic Square, & the Botanic Gardens. Mt Victoria, Wildlife Karori Sanctuary, Seatoun, Wellington harbour. Southern coastline, Western coastline, Rimutaka Range, Tararua Range, Kapiti, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Eastbourne.

The Wellington region is located on the south western tip of the North Island. The region offers all the facilities and advantages of a vibrant city, while also maintaining an easy getaway from the city to more remote areas. This city is surrounded by coastline, bush and even mountain terrain.

Wellington city is the worlds most southerly capital city and is built on the shores of a spectacular harbour with the suburbs flowing up and over the surrounding hills. Wellington is known as the windy city, and even though this title is well deserved, it must be noted that the windy seasons are winter and spring while summer and autumn are quite calm. A popular saying that goes "You can't beat Wellington on a good day" is often said in defence of Wellington's reputation for unpredictable weather, but it is also true that Wellington shines brighter than any other on a fine day. This is due to crisp clean and non-polluted air and Wellington surprisingly enjoys a higher amount of sunshine hours than Auckland and Christchurch.

Wellington is a lively city with great shopping, restaurants, theatre and a bustling nightlife. It is also worth noting that Wellington cafes do the best coffee in the world or near enough, and places like Cafe Lafarre or Mojo certainly have a great reputation for coffee.

Wellington is also known as the Art capital of New Zealand and there are many festivals held each year, including the Wine and Food Festival, the Dragon Boating Festival and the International Festival of the Arts. The city is also the New Zealand port for the British Global Challenge which is billed as the most difficult of all global yacht races.

Outside of the city are other densly populated areas, (by New Zealand standards), including the Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Paraparaumu. Beyond that there are mainly satellite towns and rural communities involved in farming and agriculture. So the Wellington region is more than a city.

The Tararua Mountains to the north for example are a great place enjoying New Zealand's temperate rain forests and mountain scenery. For great coastal scenery you could head north to Paekakariki and Paraparaumu which both contain beaches suitable for swimming and surfing, while Oriental Bay, Days Bay and Scorching Bay, are swimming beaches located inside the Wellington harbour which are easily accessible given their close proximity to the city.

Many views of the South Island can be had from the Wellington south coast. Wellington is linked to the nearby South Island by a ferry service. Ferries depart at the northern end of Wellington City or Queens Wharf. It takes about three hours or less to reach the South Island and vice versa.

The Wellington region is also conveniently located next to the Wairarapa Region, which is home to many vineyards and enjoys a warmer drier climate.