Discover WELLINGTON New Zealand 🇳🇿 Capital City Travel Guide

Join us as we explore Wellington, the capital of New Zealand!

This beautiful city features large waterfront esplanades, clean sandy beaches, a busy harbor, and wooden houses in lively colors that give life to the surrounding hills.

After spending four months on the South Island, we were excited to catch a ferry across the Cook Straight and begin our journey north.

Getting on the ferry felt like we were traveling to another country. Along the 3 and a half hour route from Picton we took in some amazing views of the Queen Charlotte Sound, explored the Interislander ship and we even saw a whale!

After a smooth sailing, we arrived as the sun was setting in Wellington. We disembarked, took a shuttle to the train station and then caught a bus to our home exchange overlooking Lyall Bay. It was a beautiful house with magnificent views of the area.

We awoke to bright sunshine on our first day in Wellington and headed out early for an action-packed day in the city.

We started by finding a lovely shortcut that took us straight to the beach. Then, we hopped on a bus to the top of Mount Victoria where we enjoyed the most breathtaking views.

Next, we decided to walk to downtown Wellington and the weather couldn’t have been any better.

We walked by New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa, saw the famous Solace in the Wind Statue, and enjoyed some time exploring the harbor and waterfront area. After a tasty Greek lunch at the Press Hall, we took a bus to the Botanical Gardens next to the Cable Car Museum.

We enjoyed discovering all the unusual plants and vegetation around the gardens including the Norfolk Island pine trees. Within the gardens, we also discovered a sundial, the Dominion Observatory and the Space Place at the Carter Observatory.

Our next stop was the Bolton Street Cemetery which we walked through on our way back to the city centre. Аt the foot of the hill, we saw the “Beehive” or the seat of New Zealand's Prime Minister and parliament.

As the sun was setting, Wellington slowly transformed into a city of lights. We spent some more time enjoying the night vibes of this beautiful capital and then headed home for some well-needed rest.

Stay tuned for our upcoming Wellington videos as we discover the local attractions including Te Papa, Weta Workshop, Zeelandia and more!

00:00 Intro
01:14 Interislander Ferry Picton to Wellington
02:50 Queen Charlotte Sound
03:29 Crossing The Cook Straight
04:10 Whale Watching Cook Straight
05:03 Arriving in Wellington Port
05:52 Wellington Train Station
06:49 Arriving at Out Home Exchange
07:27 Breathtaking View of Lyall Bay
10:50 Mount Victoria
11:19 Panoramic View of Wellington
14:20 Exploring the Wellington City Center
15:10 Family Lockdown Boogie
15:26 Te Papa Museum
15:40 Solace in the Wind Statue
15:59 Wellington Waterfront
17:40 Botanical Gardens
19:03 Norfolk Island Pine Trees
20:45 Space Center and Sundial
21:33 Dominion Observatory
22:14 Bolton Street Cemetery
23:51 The Famous “Beehive” Parliament Buildings
24:46 Wellington Waterfront at Night