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Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
Wellington
Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Give Wellington 2 nights: one full day for Te Papa and the waterfront, one for Cuba Street and Mt Victoria; on a short city-only trip with no Cook Strait crossing, 1 night is enough.
Wellington is New Zealand's capital and second-largest urban area, a compact harbour city wedged between hills and the sea at the southern tip of the North Island. It is the country's museum, coffee and craft-beer centre, and the North Island end of the Cook Strait ferry to Picton. Most trips use it for 1–2 nights between the ferry and the drive north, or as a city break on its own.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Local name
- Te Whanganui-a-Tara
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (wet and windy); avoid the southerly storm days any month
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$90–150 excl. bed · Mid NZ$150–260 excl. bed · High NZ$260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Flat white | NZ$5–7 |
| Craft beer, pint in a bar | NZ$10–14 |
| Lunch (sandwich or pie) | NZ$10–18 |
| Dinner, mid-range restaurant | NZ$30–55 |
| Metlink single cash fare, 1–3 zones | NZ$3–6 |
| Cable car, one way | NZ$6–8 |
| Te Papa entry | Free |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- WLG · Wellington International Airport
- 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of the centre in Rongotai; single terminal for domestic and international. Airport Express bus to the CBD, or Metlink Route 2 from Hobart Street, a 700 m walk.3.1 mi (5 km) southeast of the centre in Rongotai; single terminal for domestic and international. Airport Express bus to the CBD, or Metlink Route 2 from Hobart Street, a 700 m walk.
Typical fares
- WLG → CBD, Airport Express
- about NZ$9 with Snapper, about 25 min (check)
- WLG → CBD, Metlink Route 2
- about NZ$4, 700 m walk to Hobart Street (check)
- WLG → CBD, rideshare
- about NZ$20 (check)
- Ferry Wellington → Picton
- 3–3.5 h; book ahead in summer
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is compact and linear: walk the Golden Mile from the railway station down Lambton Quay, Willis Street and Manners Street to Courtenay Place. Metlink buses and trains use Snapper cards or contactless credit/debit cards; tag on and tag off or you pay the full route. Trains connect the centre with Porirua, the Hutt Valley and the Kapiti Coast — check current timetables, as frequencies differ by line and day. The cable car links Lambton Quay to Kelburn and the Botanic Garden.
See and do
Known for
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Cuba Street and the Golden Mile
- Wellington Cable Car and the Botanic Garden
- Coffee and craft beer
- Cook Strait ferries to Picton
- Weta Workshop
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Wairarapa (Featherston and Greytown) | Metlink train from Wellington station over the Remutaka Ranges | About 1–1.25 h |
| Masterton | Metlink Wairarapa line train from Wellington station | About 1.5–2 h |
| Kapiti Coast | Kapiti line train to Waikanae or Paraparaumu | About 1 h |
| Picton and the Marlborough Sounds | Interislander or Bluebridge ferry across Cook Strait | 3–3.5 h |
| Lower Hutt and Petone | Hutt Valley line train | About 30 min |
Sleep
- CBD / Lambton Quay
- Golden Mile, railway station and ferry shuttle; best for one night with bags and early trains.
- Te Aro / Courtenay Place
- Bars, restaurants and the Cuba Street strip; 10–15 min walk from the station, noisier at night.
- Waterfront / Te Papa
- Museum, Tākina and the i-SITE at 50 Cable Street; quiet evenings, short walk to everything central.
- Mt Victoria / Oriental Bay
- Harbour views and the lookout walk; 20–25 min walk or a short bus ride to the centre.
- Porirua
- Separate city 20–25 min north by train; a quieter base with its own station, and bed prices vary — check before booking.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Kia ora — hello / thank you | Kia oraKEE-ah OR-ah |
| Thank you | Ngā mihingah MEE-hee |
| Please | KoaKOH-ah |
| Where is the toilet? | Kei hea te wharepaku?kay HAY-ah teh FAR-eh-PAH-koo |
| How much is it? | E hia te utu?eh HEE-ah teh OO-too |
| Can I pay by card? | Ka taea te utu mā te kāri?kah TAH-eh-ah teh OO-too mah teh KAH-ree |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- Wind is the local hazard: doors, umbrellas and light aircraft approaches all suffer. Southerly storms can close the Remutaka Hill road and cancel ferry sailings.
- Wellington sits on active faults. In a strong quake, drop, cover and hold; stay put until authorities advise otherwise.
- Ferry crossings to Picton are weather-dependent and sell out in summer: book ahead and keep a buffer before a flight.
- International flights from Australia often land after midnight, when most airport facilities are shut.
- The airport runway is short and windy landings can go around; keep your seatbelt on until the plane stops.
Wellington is a safe city by day and mostly by night; the real risks are wind, earthquakes and late-night Courtenay Place drinking crowds. Keep bags zipped in the Cuba Street and Courtenay Place bar strips.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Wellington yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Cuba Street and the Golden Mile
- Wellington Cable Car and the Botanic Garden
- Coffee and craft beer
- Cook Strait ferries to Picton
- Weta Workshop
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- WellingtonNZ official visitor site: wellingtonnz.com
- Wellington Airport: www.wellingtonairport.co.nz/
- Metlink: www.metlink.org.nz/
- Interislander: www.interislander.co.nz/
- Wikivoyage: Wellington, revision 5321648 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5321648
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
WellingtonTe Whanganui-a-Tara
Ki tēnei wāhi, koa
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies and high commissions are in Wellington, the capital; check your own country's listing for the address and hours.
Tipping is not expected; 10% for very good service in a restaurant is a bonus.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/wellington). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.