Wellington Surrounds
5
Day Itinerary •
New Zealand
Five days in Wellington and its surrounds give you the full extraordinary depth of New Zealand's remarkable capital, from the Te Papa national museum and Zealandia wildlife sanctuary to the Kapiti Coast and Kapiti Island seabird reserve, the extraordinary Wairarapa wine region across the Remutaka Range with the finest Pinot Noir in New Zealand, and the dramatic Cape Palliser with its seal colony and lighthouse at the southern tip of the North Island. This route covers the complete Wellington region. The waterfront, Te Papa, Cable Car and Cuba Street, Zealandia ecosanctuary and Kapiti Coast, the Wairarapa wine trail through Martinborough, the extraordinary Cape Palliser road and its remarkable seal colony and lighthouse, and a final day exploring Wellington's extraordinary hills, suburbs and the Weta Workshop tour.
Best Time To Visit
Year-round. Mar to May for wine harvest. Dec to Feb warmest.
Getting There
Fly from Auckland, Christchurch or international.
Getting Around
Wellington walkable. Car essential for Wairarapa and Cape Palliser.
Budget Per Day
Approx NZ$200 to NZ$400 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, mostly walking and driving
DAY 1
WELLINGTON CITY
MORNING
WELLINGTON WATERFRONT AND TE PAPA
Wellington's extraordinary waterfront walk from the railway station to Te Papa gives the finest free urban experience in New Zealand. Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum of New Zealand, holds the most extraordinary Maori taonga in the country including the carved meeting house Te Hono ki Hawaiki, the colossal squid specimen, the remarkable Gallipoli exhibition with its 2.4-times-life-size hyper-realistic figures, and the extraordinary natural history collections. Allow at least 3 hours. Entirely free. Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
WELLINGTON CABLE CAR AND BOTANIC GARDEN
The Wellington Cable Car rises from Lambton Quay to the extraordinary Kelburn hilltop panorama over the harbour in 5 minutes. The remarkable Wellington Botanic Garden below the terminus gives the finest garden walk in New Zealand, the extraordinary Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the native bush section outstanding. The Cable Car Museum at the top is free. Return ticket approx NZ$6.50. Travel: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
CUBA STREET ARTS DISTRICT
Cuba Street is the most extraordinary arts and culture street in New Zealand, its remarkable collection of independent cafes, vintage shops, galleries and restaurants giving the finest urban walking experience in the country. The extraordinary Bucket Fountain, the remarkable Fidel's cafe, the Cuba Street Friday night market and the nearby Te Aro neighbourhood with its extraordinary street art are outstanding.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Wellington night market on Cuba Street on Fridays is the most extraordinary street food market in New Zealand, with dozens of stalls serving global street food from Wellington's extraordinary multicultural food scene. Entirely free. The finest Friday evening in Wellington.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Fidel's Cafe, Cuba Street Outstanding Wellington breakfast. Finest flat white in the capital. | Lunch: Te Papa cafe or Chow, Taranaki Street Outstanding Wellington lunch. Local produce and harbour views. | Dinner: Logan Brown, Cuba Street Outstanding Wellington restaurant. Local lamb and New Zealand produce.
DAY 2
TE PAPA AND KAPITI
MORNING
ZEALANDIA ECOSANCTUARY
Zealandia is the most extraordinary urban wildlife sanctuary in the world, a 225-hectare valley surrounded by a predator-proof fence where remarkable native species including tuatara, kaka, kakariki and little spotted kiwi have recovered from near-extinction. The extraordinary tuatara are the finest living link to the age of dinosaurs in the world. The remarkable daytime guided tour gives encounters with native species impossible elsewhere in New Zealand. Entry approx NZ$22. Travel: 40 min train
MIDDAY
KAPITI COAST AND PARAPARAUMU BEACH
Paraparaumu Beach on the Kapiti Coast gives the most extraordinary view of Kapiti Island, the finest seabird sanctuary in the lower North Island. The extraordinary island is entirely predator-free and has the densest population of rare birds in New Zealand including kokako, saddleback and kiwi. The beach is outstanding in its own right. Kapiti Island visits require an advance permit from DOC. The local Kapiti Ice Cream is the finest in New Zealand. Travel: 50 min train
AFTERNOON
PAEKAKARIKI AND THE ESCARPMENT TRACK
Paekakariki's extraordinary Escarpment Track above the Kapiti Coast gives the finest coastal walk near Wellington, the remarkable cliff-face path giving extraordinary views of the coast, Kapiti Island and back toward Wellington. The extraordinary village below with its remarkable collection of vintage shops and cafes is the finest on the coast. The train back to Wellington runs hourly.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
Kapiti Island can be visited by permit from DOC with advance booking. The extraordinary bird life on this predator-free island is the finest accessible in the Wellington region. Boat crossing from Paraparaumu approx NZ$80 return. The finest birdwatching experience within day-trip distance of Wellington.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Wellington Coffee before the Zealandia morning. | Lunch: Cafe on the Kapiti Coast Outstanding coastal cafe. Local Kapiti Ice Cream essential. | Dinner: Ortega Fish Shack, Wellington Outstanding Wellington seafood. Local Bluff oysters and crayfish.
DAY 3
ZEALANDIA AND WETA
MORNING
MOUNT VICTORIA AND WELLINGTON HILLS
Mount Victoria at 196 metres gives the most extraordinary free panorama in Wellington, its remarkable 360-degree view over the harbour, city, Hutt Valley and Cook Strait the finest single viewpoint in the capital. The extraordinary Lord of the Rings filming locations on Mount Victoria give the finest film tourism experience in Wellington. The remarkable Eastern Suburbs walkway through the historic Melrose and Berhampore suburbs gives the finest hill walking in the city. Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
WETA WORKSHOP TOUR
Weta Workshop in Miramar is the most extraordinary film workshop tour in the world, the only public access to the remarkable workshop that created the props, costumes and creatures for The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, The Hobbit and dozens of other major films. The extraordinary collection of original props and the remarkable guided tour through the working studio are outstanding. Book well in advance at wetaworkshop.com. Entry approx NZ$45. Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
MIRAMAR FILM STUDIOS AND POINT HALSWELL
The Miramar Peninsula gives the most extraordinary evening walk near Wellington, the remarkable Point Halswell lighthouse walk along the harbour entrance giving the finest view of Wellington harbour from the water level. The extraordinary Seatoun village at the peninsula tip has the finest fish and chips shop in Wellington. The drive along the peninsula coast gives continuous harbour views.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Museum of Wellington City and Sea on the waterfront is the most extraordinary free historic museum in Wellington, its remarkable Maori legend gallery and the extraordinary Wahine disaster exhibition about the 1968 ferry sinking in the harbour giving the finest city heritage experience. Entirely free. The most extraordinary hidden museum in Wellington.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Wellington Coffee before Mount Victoria. | Lunch: Cafe at Weta Workshop or Miramar Outstanding Miramar neighbourhood cafes. | Dinner: Restaurant in Wellington Outstanding Wellington dinner. Local lamb and the finest New Zealand wine.
DAY 4
WAIRARAPA WINE
MORNING
DRIVE TO MARTINBOROUGH VIA THE REMUTAKA RANGE
The Remutaka Range crossing from Wellington to the Wairarapa gives the most extraordinary mountain road in the Wellington region, the remarkable summit viewpoint above the forest looking back over Wellington harbour and forward over the extraordinary Wairarapa plains outstanding. The descent into the Wairarapa gives the finest transition from coastal to inland New Zealand on a single drive. Martinborough is 1 hour from Wellington. Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
MARTINBOROUGH WINE VILLAGE AND ESTATES
Martinborough is the most extraordinary wine village in New Zealand, its remarkable town square surrounded by boutique wineries producing the finest Pinot Noir in the country. The extraordinary Ata Rangi, Palliser Estate, Craggy Range and Te Kairanga vineyards are all within cycling distance of the village. The remarkable wine trail by bicycle through the vineyards is the finest wine experience in the Wellington region. Bike hire from village approx NZ$30. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
LAKE WAIRARAPA AND THE WAIRARAPA COAST
Lake Wairarapa is the most extraordinary wildlife wetland in the Wellington region, its remarkable shorebird and waterfowl population including the extraordinary royal spoonbill and the remarkable Australasian bittern giving the finest birdwatching experience in the Wairarapa. The extraordinary Wairarapa Moana Wetlands walk around the lake edge gives the finest wetland walking near Wellington. Entirely free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Stonehenge Aotearoa at Carterton in the Wairarapa is the most extraordinary hidden attraction near Wellington, a full-scale working model of Stonehenge adapted for the Southern Hemisphere's night sky giving the finest astronomical landmark in New Zealand. Entry approx NZ$15. The finest hidden discovery in the Wairarapa.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Wellington before departure Stock up before the Remutaka crossing. | Lunch: Martinborough Hotel bistro Outstanding wine village lunch. Local lamb and Martinborough Pinot Noir. | Dinner: Tirohana Estate, Martinborough Outstanding winery restaurant. The finest Martinborough Pinot Noir dining.
DAY 5
CAPE PALLISER
MORNING
DRIVE TO CAPE PALLISER
Cape Palliser at the southern tip of the North Island is the most extraordinary coastal drive in the Wellington region, the remarkable road from Martinborough through Lake Ferry and along the extraordinary rocky Palliser Bay coastline giving continuous views of the Cook Strait and the South Island mountains beyond. The extraordinary Putangirua Pinnacles, bizarre rock formations eroded from ancient river terraces used as filming locations for The Lord of the Rings, are outstanding. Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
CAPE PALLISER SEAL COLONY AND LIGHTHOUSE
Cape Palliser is home to the largest New Zealand fur seal colony on the North Island, the extraordinary seals hauled out on the rocks below the lighthouse accessible via a short walk. The remarkable Cape Palliser Lighthouse at the top of 258 steps gives the finest view of Cook Strait in the Wellington region, the South Island Alps visible on clear days. The extraordinary seal pups visible from September to November are outstanding. Travel: 1.5 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO WELLINGTON VIA LAKE FERRY
The return drive from Cape Palliser to Wellington via Martinborough and the Remutaka Range gives the finest farewell to the Wairarapa, the extraordinary Lake Ferry village on Palliser Bay and the remarkable Aorangi Forest Park visible on the drive back giving the finest rural New Zealand landscape in the region. The Cook Strait ferry to the South Island departs from Wellington and connects the two islands in 3.5 hours.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Putangirua Pinnacles above Cape Palliser are the most extraordinary rock formations near Wellington, the remarkable eroded river terrace pinnacles used as the Paths of the Dead in The Lord of the Rings accessible on a 2-hour return walk from the car park. Entirely free. The finest hidden Lord of the Rings filming location in the Wellington region.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast in Martinborough Before the Cape Palliser drive. | Lunch: Cafe at Lake Ferry Outstanding remote cafe on Palliser Bay. Local fish and chips by the sea. | Dinner: Farewell dinner in Wellington Outstanding final New Zealand capital dinner. Local lamb and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
Where To Stay
Wellington, Nights 1 to 3 QT Wellington or Bolton Hotel. Central. Approx NZ$180 to NZ$380. Martinborough, Night 4 The White Swan Hotel or Peppers Parehua. Wine village. Approx NZ$180 to NZ$350. Wellington, Night 5 Return to Wellington or depart from Martinborough.
Top Tips
1. Te Papa is entirely free and extraordinary. The Gallipoli exhibition with giant figures is unmissable.
2. Book the Zealandia evening kiwi tour weeks in advance. Kiwi sightings are near-guaranteed after dark.
3. Martinborough's wine village is entirely walkable. Hire bikes from the village to visit multiple estates.
4. Cape Palliser road is sealed most of the way. The last 5km to the lighthouse is gravel but manageable.
5. Weta Workshop tours must be booked in advance at wetaworkshop.com. The only open film workshop in NZ.
6. The Remutaka Range crossing to the Wairarapa is extraordinary. Stop at the summit for the finest valley view.
Total Budget
Approx NZ$200 to NZ$400 per person per day