Wellington

Basin Reserve

Established in 1868 and with a capacity of 13,000, this is New Zealand oldest cricket ground. It hosts Test matches and the Wellington Firebirds team, plus the NZ Cricket Museum.

Battle Hill Farm Forest Park

Historic battle site and regional park. See the farm animals and feed the eels. Yep, feed eels. You can view the site of one of the "Hutt Valley Campaign" battles of 1846. Picnicking, camping, and trails. No dogs, no cell coverage.

Apr-Sep 6AM-6PM; Oct-Mar 6AM-8PM

Bolton Street Memorial Park

Watch out for the friendly black cat who haunts this hillside cemetery. If you're returning from the Botanic Gardens by foot, this is a great place to meander through and check out the epitaphs of early pioneers and historical figures. Between 1968 and 1971, over 3700 bodies were controversially exhumed to make way for motorway construction; their remains are now in an underground vault below the Early Settlers Memorial Lawn. At the Bolton Street entrance, the former mortuary chapel, reconstructed after the motorway, has information on the cemetery history and guide leaflets if you want to explore further.

Brooklyn Wind Turbine

Another great place to go to get an excellent view of the city, the harbour, and Cook Strait, plus experience the wind! The current turbine was installed in 2016 and is the second on the site; the first was erected in 1993 to test the potential of turning Wellington's infamous wind into electricity.

Carter Observatory

Space Place

Offers a state of the art planetarium show, along with multimedia exhibits that show how early Māori, Polynesian and European settlers navigated their way to New Zealand.

Daily 10AM-5PM · $18

Cathedral of St Paul

Large Anglican church built between 1954 and 1998. The cathedral is a relatively plain design, made of reinforced concrete, and has some fine stained glass. A farmer's market is held in the car park on Saturday mornings.

Mon-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 8AM-4PM; services Sun 8AM, 10AM, 4PM

Central Fire Station

Fire station (still in use) designed by Cyril H Mitchell of Mitchell & Mitchell in 1935, which includes the clock from the old Town Hall. Fountain Court, 10-48 Oriental Parade, a three-storey block of flats, a few doors towards the sea was built in 1938.

City Gallery

Runs a consistently avant-garde set of exhibits, with no permanent collection. In it's usual location has an excellent café, Nikau, attached to it.

Tue-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-1PM

Colonial Knob

It may get snow in winter but at other times is a rewarding few hours' walk for great views of Cook Strait and beyond.

Dive the frigate Wellington (F69)

Probably the world's most accessible dive wreck. Just a few kilometres around the coast from Wellington International Airport. Sunk on 13 November 2005 in 23-26 m of water off Island Bay on Wellington's south coast. The wreck lies about 600 m southeast of Taputeranga Island (the island of Island Bay).

Fisherman's Plate

Looks like your average family-run fish-and-chips shop, but they also do excellent Vietnamese food, with an emphasis on noodle soups.

$5-15

Frank Kitts Park

A great place to wander around, with walls to climb, inline skates, and jet ski rental.

Harbourside Sunday Market

A weekly outdoor market, with hot food stalls, local artisan food and some value fruit and veg stalls.

Sun 7:30AM - 1PM

Hutt Valley Clay Target Club

The best clay shooting club in greater Wellington. Novices are welcome to shoot clay targets from all types of shotguns.

Katherine Mansfield Birthplace

The Victorian house where the author Katherine Mansfield was born, and lived for her first five years. The house is furnished as it would have been in the 1890s.

Tue-Sun 10AM-4PM · $10

Massey Memorial

An interesting place to go if you want to see a large memorial in the middle of nowhere, with a good view of the surrounding harbour. The memorial's namesake is William Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1912 and 1925.

Matiu/Somes Island

Out in the middle of the harbour, this island has its share of history. It was once a quarantine station for immigrants, and later (and more extensively) for animals. It was also an internment camp for "dangerous" individuals during both world wars. The island is a nature reserve managed by the DOC, bio-security bag inspections on arrival and a small exhibition. The animal quarantine station and some wartime defences can be explored, there are good harbour views, but the wildlife is the main attraction. Bring food in sealed containers and something to drink as there are no shops. There is a campsite and two bachs which need to be booked in advance.

Ferry $25

Matiu/Somes Island

Out in the middle of the harbour, this island has its share of history. It was once a quarantine station for immigrants, and later (and more extensively) for animals. It was also an internment camp for "dangerous" individuals during both world wars. The ferry leaves from Day's Bay / Eastbourne and from Queen's Wharf in Wellington City. Only at certain times will the ferry stop at the island and only upon request.

$22

Mount Kaukau

455 m high, and easily recognisable by the 122-metre television transmitter atop it. A great lookout point, but not as close to the city as Mt Victoria.

Mount Victoria

196 m high, this is the best lookout in Wellington. The full 360-degree view is a great place to see the airport, the harbour, the CBD and the Town Belt with just a turn of the head. It takes about an hour to walk up from Courtenay Place. Many tourist buses go there but also a lot of the locals, especially at night to 'watch the view'.

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Te Papa

New Zealand's national museum contains interesting exhibitions on the country's history and culture and includes several shops. It has the only complete colossal squid on display.

Daily 10AM-6PM, closed 25 Dec · Free for NZ citizens (except for the occasional special presentation), $35 for 48hr international visitor ticket

Nairn Street Cottage

Preserved cottage built in 1858 and kept in the same family until it became a museum, with an exhibition on its history. The small garden is open every day..

daily tours at noon, 2PM, and 3PM · $8

National Tattoo Museum of New Zealand

History of tattooing in New Zealand and the Pacific, especially traditional Maori tattooing. Shown in just two rooms attached to a tattoo studio. One of Wellington's least museums.

Fri Sat noon-8PM, Sun-Thu noon-5:30PM · Free (the sign at the entrance about payment relates to getting a tattoo)

New World

Main central supermarket, with a smaller store on Willis Street.

Daily 7AM-11PM

Old Bank Shopping Arcade

Small upmarket arcade in the former BNZ HQ which opened in 1901. Has an animated musical clock which performs on the hour, and a small display on the remains of a boat washed up here in 1855.

Old Government Buildings

This is the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere and the second-largest in the world. It is now the home of Victoria University Law School.

Old St Paul's

This was the Anglican centre for decades. Superseded by the new cathedral north of Parliament, this one is popular for weddings and funerals.

Daily 9:30AM-5PM · Donation, tours $5

Pariwhero/Red Rocks Seal Colony

This is an interesting walk named for its distinctive red rocks (probably Jasper). The walk along this beach is pleasant but rocky and often very windy, so dress accordingly. If you walk for about an hour you'll come across a distinctive pass through the rock face. Just on the other side of this is a seal colony that is worth the walk. Please bear in mind that these are wild animals and so require a certain level of respect, so keep your distance and don't get between them and the sea, especially if you value your health! Continuing on from here, you will eventually arrive at Makara (but this is a long distance, and the seal colony is a recommended turn-around point).

Parliament Buildings

Home of New Zealand's lawmakers and leaders, the complex consists of four building: the Beehive (or Executive Wing), Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library and Bowen House. The grounds of Parliament are open to the public, and free tours of the buildings are available from the visitor centre located between the Beehive and Parliament House. Depending on parliamentary business, tours may include a visit to the House of Representatives debating chamber and the Select Committee rooms. For security reasons, you need to leave all your belongings at the visitor centre and clear a checkpoint.

Pataka Art + Museum

A museum and art gallery. There is a Japanese Garden (contributed by sister city Nishio) and at the adjacent public library you can see one of the North Island's best genealogical collections.

Daily 10AM-5PM · Free