Wellington is a coastal city located in the south of New Zealand’s North Island. It is the channel between the two New Zealand islands. As the country’s capital, it is a city full of history and entertainment.

The first thing that struck me when I set foot in Wellington was the landscape. The city is simply enchanting! Full of green hills surrounded by the turquoise sea and houses reminiscent of the Victorian era.

The second thing that struck me was the passion for the movies filmed here (Wellington airport has a giant Gollum on the ceiling) and the strong Maori influence in the city (even the manhole covers have Maori symbols).

With 496,000 inhabitants, Wellington is a city full of diversity. 25% of the inhabitants were born in another country. The population consists of a mix of 77% European New Zealanders (families descended from Europeans), 13% Maori, 8% Pacific Islanders (Samoa, Fiji, Tonga), 10.5% Asians (it looks more like Asians actually, there are a lot of Asians lol, including a strong influence of Asian cuisine), 1.5% Eastern Europeans, Latinos and Africans, 1.8% others (New Zealanders). source: http://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/life-in-wellington/facts-and-figures/. So there’s not a place you go without meeting an expat!

High quality of life is one of the city’s points of excellence. Accessible health, transportation and education, and excellent accessibility for the disabled and safety. Each bus stop has a sign indicating the time it takes for each bus to reach the stop. snapper to get around the city, which isn’t very big, so there’s no need for the metro. Public transport users are very polite, everyone says thank you to the driver when they get off at the back door of the bus.

There is a wide range of entertainment, which makes the city even more interesting. Theaters, festivals from horse racing to wine and gastronomy, restaurants where you can bring your own bottle of wine, wonderful parks, a botanical garden with breathtaking scenery and an obligatory stop at the cable car and the planetarium, another must-see is the museum Te Papa Tongarewa which tells the story of New Zealand and especially the Maori. The Weta Cave is also a prestigious tourist spot, the company that did the special effects for The Lord of the Rings, which was even filmed in Wellington. It’s an experience within the films produced and directed in New Zealand.

Red Rocks Scientific Reservelocated in Owhiro Bayis a fascinating place. The geological reserve on the coast consists of rocks formed more than 200 million years ago. Colonies of sea lions can be seen on the red rocks. You can only get there by walking (30 to 40 minutes) or only by SUV to drive on the soft sandy beach. Devil’s Gate.

Waterfront located all around the city’s inlet, it’s an excellent place for practicing sports, resting, eating in restaurants with views of the sea and the south island, going to the weekend markets, having gelato and practicing water sports, with many places that rent out canoes and sails. It’s definitely the best-known place in New Zealand’s capital.

The beaches are another facet. Small beaches that get crowded in the summer (but nothing like Ipanema lol) with clear waters and fine sand. wellingtonians they go crazy in the summer lol. I’ve heard there’s a naturalist beach in Wellington, but I’ve never been.

The famous Cuba Street, located in the center of the capital, it is full of bars, beautiful little shops, thrift stores and second-hand stores, full of alternative people, with live music in front of the Bucket Fountain, is another postcard of the city.

Another famous street is Lambton Quay, is an open-air shopping mall. New Zealand’s capital has no enclosed shopping malls, so the Lambton Quay is where everyone goes when they want to shop. It’s also home to some of the most famous brands in New Zealand (you can only find them in Auckland). There is a store selling only New Zealand-produced 100% Merino wool, which is a real temptation!

The ferry that takes you to the South Island is located in Wellington and it’s not just any ferry. You can take your car on it at a higher price. The companies that provide the trip are Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferry and Interislander. The journey time is about three and a half hours.

Another fascinating tour is to take the East By West Ferry and explore the whole of Wellington cove by boat while enjoying a drink. It even stops at a small island near the capital called Matiu/Somes Island, a nature reserve in the middle of the cove that gives you a 360-degree view of the city.

As a curiosity, it’s the windiest city in the world due to its geographical location. I’ve never seen anyone wear an umbrella or hat in the capital lol. The climate isn’t the best, there are some hot days in summer, but the city is known for having, shall we say, unattractive weather, and that would be the only thing the city is criticized for. I’ve even experienced winds of 85 km/h one night! It can get higher and the wind can be as strong as a hurricane! But calm down, it’s nothing that would kill anyone or scare people, they’re used to it…

Wellington really is a charming city. New Zealanders talk a lot about their capital. It’s a charming, compact and welcoming city. Many say that Wellington is still a typical New Zealand city, because Auckland (there’s a feud between the capital and the largest city lol) is considered too big by New Zealand standards and according to them this takes away a little from the country’s identity. So if you want to learn more about the country’s history, don’t forget to include New Zealand’s capital in your travel itinerary.

For more information go to

• http://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/
• http://wetaworkshop.com

I hope you enjoyed it!

With love,

Cha ❁