Wellington: A Capital Place

By James Anthony

Wellington is often called the Windy City, and for good reason

Wellington, like Canberra, often suffers for being being the capital of its country - denigrated for being overrun with politicians and bureaucrats.

But the New Zealand harbour-side city is loved by those who live there, and they willingly cop a ribbing about it being too hilly and the Windy City.

Visitors to Wellington can sample a lifestyle very similar to Melbourne's, with lots of great restaurants, artistic places to visit and a less rushed atmosphere than the much larger metropolitan areas of Auckland or Sydney.

Wellington is a city of just over 200,000 people and sits at the bottom end of New Zealand's North Island. Just across Cook Strait is the South Island and if you want to travel between the two you can take a ferry from Wellington to Picton and on the way spend a couple of days enjoying the sights of the capital.

One of the most obvious places to visit is the political centre of the country - the Parliamentary precinct, which includes the Beehive, Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library and the Government Buildings.

There are free tours for visitors who want to see the historic buildings and a must-see are the Government Buildings - some of the world's largest all-wood structures. Another worthwhile stopover is to take a tour of the old Parliament Building and debating chamber.

While you are in exploring mode not far away is Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national museum. At Te Papa you can learn about the geological occurrences that formed New Zealand, enjoy being in an Earthquake House, discover the world of Maoris, the animals unique to New Zealand, a Maori marae (or meeting place) and take a trip back in time on a high-tech simulator.

This is the view from the cable car ride

Entry is free and it is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm every day, although on Thursdays there are extended hours to 9pm.

One last indoor suggestion is go to historic family home of one of New Zealand's most famous authors, Katherine Mansfield. It is in Thorndon, one of Wellington's oldest suburbs, and dates back to the mid 19th Century.

Mansfield's birthplace has been beautifully restored with antique furniture and its heritage garden is filled with plants like jasmine, roses and calendulas that were part of 1880s Wellington.

If you want to continue a peaceful wander through leafy areas then consider a visit to Wellington's Botanic Gardens. The 26-hectare site can be reached quite easily by taking the cable car from Lampton Quay and on the way enjoy some spectacular views.

Also within the Botanic Gardens is the Carter Observatory, which offers Planetarium shows - a recreated night sky that allows viewing at any time of day - views of Jupiter from its moon, a journey across the galaxy, or a deep space exploration journey through the lens of the Hubble Space Telescope. You can also see the real night sky on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during 30-minute viewing sessions. It is recommended you book ahead for these. Private telescope viewings are available.

Here are some other suggestions for places to go and things to see in Wellington

Wellington has a lot to offer visitors and is worth taking a couple of days out to investigate.

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