Wellington Region

Bounded by steep windswept hills, this huge natural harbour on the southern shores of the North Island became the strategically located site for first settlement of the New Zealand Company in 1840. The first colonists to arrive in Wellington had a hard time and during their first decade the settlers numbers dwindled from 436 to 85. Nevertheless, the New Zealand Company had successfully anticipated that the colonial administration would move the capital from Auckland to Wellington, fearful that the immigrants in the South Island might break away and form a separate colony. The move to establish a more central location for the capital city took place in 1865 and in the following years, increasing numbers of government officials and diplomats began to arrive in Wellington, assuring the future of the city. Wellington is often buffeted by high winds that funnel through the Cook Strait, the only gap in a 1400 km long chain of mountains and the city is well known for its photographic images of residents bracing themselves at an angle against the wind, with their umbrellas blown inside out. Ironically Wellington often experiences better weather than its northern counterparts. The city is located on a major fault line and also experiences earthquakes, including a severe quake in 1855. As a result, Wellington has led the world in the development and application of advanced technologies to create earthquake-resistant buildings and today the city combines state of the art high-rise architecture along the reclaimed foreshore with beautifully restored old homes that cling to the hillsides overlooking the city.

Wellington's maritime history is explored in the Museum of Wellington City and Sea

1museum of wellington city & sea

Driving south into Wellington on SH1, turn left off the motorway onto Aotea Quay and travel 1 km south onto Waterloo Quay, continuing 1.1 km south onto Customhouse Quay. Take the first turn to the left onto Jervois Quay and drive 0.1 km to the museum which is on the left.
Complete with its opulent 1920s board room, the magnificent old Harbour Board Bond Store on Wellington's quayside, dates back to 1892 and is now the home of the Museum of Wellington City and Sea. There are numerous displays featuring model ships, figureheads and even the complete teak cabin from an 1879 steamship. The museum explores the city's social and maritime history, graphically presenting intriguing aspects of its earliest days, including a giant screen showing films of Kupe as well as Tall Ships and there is a documentary on the 1968 Wahine disaster. You can also pick up an old telephone and listen to stories recreating life in Wellington a century ago. Nearby at the Queens Wharf Centre you can see the remains of the sailing ship Inconstant which was rediscovered during restoration work on one of the historic buildings on Lambton’s Quay in 1997. The bow is still on display in its original location under a glass floor in the Old Bank Arcade. Its  a few minutes' walk south on Jervois Quay to reach the City to Sea Bridge which links an artificial lagoon with the Civic Square where the City Gallery Wellington, the Edwardian style Town Hall and Michael Fowler Centre are grouped.

2te papa

Continue 0.5 km southeast on Jervois Quay and turn left onto Cable Street. Continue 0.3 km to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa on the left.
New Zealand’s national museum and one of the largest new museums in the world, this futuristic multi-storeyed complex covers an area the size of three football fields and includes natural history exhibits, a human cultures gallery, a national art collection and a children's learning centre. You can get a taste of the New Zealand outdoors in Bush City with displays ranging from wetlands to glow-worm caves and a walk across a trampers' swing bridge. Mountains to the Sea and Awesome Forces feature realistic, multimedia and interactive displays that explore the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other forces that shaped much of the country. Te Marae a modern Maori shrine, Te Wharenui a meeting place, and a giant Maori canoe are at the heart of the museum. Among the wildlife specimens on display is the world’s only preserved specimen of a colossal squid, caught in the Antarctic in 1997. Now believed to be the largest squid species in the world, this 500 kg specimen is larger and heavier than the giant squid. It has the largest eyes of any animal in the world, a gigantic razor sharp beak and tentacles covered in teeth and hooks.

3oriental bay

Continue 0.3 km southeast on Cable Street, turn left onto Oriental Parade and drive 1 km east to Oriental Bay.
It’s worth taking the time to stop at one of the many parking areas and take a walk along this beautiful stretch of water-front with its fashionable cafes and excellent views across Wellington's beautiful harbour. On the hillsides overlooking the bay you can see clusters of both old and new houses in a fascinating range of architectural styles.

Wellington - Mount Victoria

4mt victoria

Continue east 0.5 km on Oriental Parade, turn right into Carlton Gore Road, continue up the hill 0.4 km and continue on Maida Vale Road 0.2 km, turn right onto Grafton Road and drive 0.6 km and turn right into Palliser Road. Continue 0.3 km and turn left onto Roseneath Terrace then turn right onto Thane Road. Continue 0.3 km and turn right onto Lookout Road which leads to the Mt Victoria Lookout.
For the best panoramic views of Wellington City and Port Nicholson all the way across to the Hutt Valley, head up to the lookout on Mt Victoria. The historic cannon on the summit was installed in 1877 and was fired each day as a time signal for many years.

5basin reserve

Continue from the Mt Victoria Lookout down the hill on Lookout Road to Alexandra Road. Continue 2 km south down the hill and turn right onto Constable Street. Continue west 0.7 km and turn right into Riddiford Street. Drive 0.7 km north onto Adelaide Road and continue another 0.7 km to Rugby Street on the Basin Reserve.
Commonly known by locals as the Basin, the Basin Reserve is the most famous cricket ground in the country and has been protected as a historic place. The New Zealand Cricket Museum is located in the Old Grandstand featuring cricket memorabilia and a reference library. The area was formed by one of the largest recorded earthquakes in the area recent times in 1855. The quake which measured 8.1 on the richter scale, raised the Wairarapa coastline by 3 m and land in Wellington by up to 2 m, draining the Te Aro swamp. Originally intended as an inland dock, the Basin Reserve became a sports ground.

6colonial cottage museum

Turn left onto Rugby Street and follow the one-way system around the Basin Reserve onto Sussex Street then turn left onto Buckle Street. The National War Memorial and the tomb of the unknown Warrior is on the left. Continue 0.1 km west on Buckle Street and turn left onto Taranaki Street, then right onto Webb Street. Continue west 0.3 km and turn left onto Thompson Street, drive south 0.4 km and turn right into Nairn Street. The Colonial Cottage Museum is 0.1 km on the left.
The Colonial Cottage Museum is located on the site of one of the original 1840 New Zealand Company Town acres. This restored colonial cottage is Wellington's second oldest building and dates back to 1858. The cottage is typical of the homes the early settlers lived in during the first years of the city's development and is fully furnished with household articles from the period.

7old wooden parliament buildings

Continue north 0.2 km on Nairn Street and continue 0.2 km on Willis Street, turn left onto Abel Smith Street and drive west 0.2 km and turn right onto the Terrace. Continue 1.9 km north and turn right onto Bowen Street and continue 0.2 km to Lambton Quay. Turn left onto Lambton Quay. The Old Parliament Buildings are on the right.
With its imposing facades, sweeping staircases, cast iron fireplaces and kauri clad interior, the Old Parliament Buildings were built in the style of an Italian stone palace to convey the impression of strength and stability in the colonial empire. Built in 1876, these are one of the largest wooden structures in the world, built at a time when the provincial governments were being abolished and a central government was being established. Designed to house the entire public service, the buildings also housed the Ministers’ offices and the Cabinet room for the next 56 years. The restoration of the buildings was completed in 1996 and the buildings are now open to the public, featuring historical interpretation rooms on the ground floor along with the original Government cabinet room on the first floor. The grounds feature formal gardens containing examples of New Zealand's flora, including a number of rare species.

 

 

the beehive

Continue northeast on Lambton Quay and turn left onto Molesworth Street. The carpark and access to the Beehive and old stone Parliament Buildings is on the left.
Designed by the renowned British architect Sir Basil Spence to house the executive offices of New Zealand’s Parliament, the distinctive circular shaped Beehive was opened in 1980. The old stone Parliament Buildings, built in 1922 from Takaka marble and Coromandel granite are located next to the Beehive.

 

 

 

antrim house

If you continue south from the Kelburn Cable Car along Lambton Quay you can take Plimmers Steps on the right up to Boulcott Street and visit Antrim House at no. 63.
Located right in the heart of Wellington, Antrim House is a prominent landmark in what was once a residential central city street. This was the home of Robert Hannah the founder of R Hannah & Co Ltd. The building was fitted with all the latest conveniences including gas, electric lights and bathrooms. It was designed in Italianate style and featured kauri panelling and a kauri staircase, stained glass windows and ornate ceilings by Wunderlich of Sydney. It has been the home of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust since 1979.

 

8the national library

From the Beehive continue north 0.2 km along Molesworth Street to the National Library of New Zealand, on the corner of Aitken Street to the right.
The National Library of New Zealand is a treasure trove of information, holding a rich and varied collection of research material as well as copies of every New Zealand publication. Within the building is the Alexander Turnbull Library with its world-famous collection of valuable historical publications, including a fine collection of works by Milton. In the Pacific section there are accounts by Pacific voyagers over a period of nearly 500 years as well as historical works by some of the early visitors to New Zealand.

The former Wellington Cathedral, St Paul's

9old st paul's

From the National Library continue 0.2 km north on Molesworth Street, turn right into Pipitea Street then right into Mulgrave Street. Old St Paul's is on the left.
Built as a temporary cathedral for Wellington in 1866, Old St Paul's was designed in Gothic-revival style and utilises native timbers, including matai and totara floors, kauri pews, rimu framing and trusses. The beautiful natural light and stained-glass windows create a warm, peaceful atmosphere while memorial brass plaques tell the story of early Wellington. Over the years, parishioners have gifted furnishings and fittings which tell their own personal stories. The building was built on land bought by Bishop Selwyn in Mulgrave Street in 1845 and was designed by the Reverend Frederick Thatcher, an English born architect who later became an Anglican Minister.
Both Thatcher and Selwyn were influenced by the teachings of the English Ecclesiological Society, a movement that was advocating a return to a Gothic style of religious architecture.