Ahhh, Wellington. I have lived here for almost a full year now, and think I may have settled in for what will be another year or so of being a pseudo-Wellingtonian.
New Zealand is a beautiful country, where you will find every kind of climate and bit of scenery you can imagine, smushed ... Read review
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Advantages: Too much for this tiny space. Disadvantages: The wind and hills!
...into a tiny country. Wellington fits this profile quite well. Built aside a natural harbour, the size of the city increased by a bit in 1840 when an earthquake rattled it. They have markers on the sidewalks to show you where the old shoreline was. Cute, eh? Yeah, there are a lot of cute things about this city. In Cuba Mall (a street that has been pedestrianised) there is a giant Tuatara (lizard) for kids to play on and a water feature that is made ... ...
Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, and the political goings on are held at the Parliament (an old and gorgeous stone building) and it's little brother, the Beehive (THE ugliest thing I have ever seen - It actually LOOKS like a beehive!)
Wellington is also home of the National Museum, Te Papa (meaning: Our Place) which currently has a Lord of the Rings exhibit showing. Speaking of the Lord of the Rings, Wellington ... more
Ahhh, Wellington. I have lived here for almost a full year now, and think I may have settled in for what will be another year or so of being a pseudo-Wellingtonian.
New Zealand is a beautiful country, where you will find every kind of climate and bit of scenery you can imagine, smushed into a tiny country. Wellington fits this profile quite well. Built aside a natural harbour, the size of the city increased by a bit in 1840 when an earthquake rattled it. They have markers on the sidewalks to show you where the old shoreline was. Cute, eh? Yeah, there are a lot of cute things about this city. In Cuba Mall (a street that has been pedestrianised) there is a giant Tuatara (lizard) for kids to play on and a water feature that is made up of buckets (that look like sugar scoops) that dump water into eachother randomly.
Wellington's Maori name is Poneke, which is the mouth of the big fish that Maui, a demigod, pulled up out of the sea and turned into the North Island.
Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, and the political goings on are held at the Parliament (an old and gorgeous stone building) and it's little brother, the Beehive (THE ugliest thing I have ever seen - It actually LOOKS like a beehive!)
Wellington is also home of the National Museum, Te Papa (meaning: Our Place) which currently has a Lord of the Rings exhibit showing. Speaking of the Lord of the Rings, Wellington is going to be the home of the 2003 World Premiere! So exciting!
There are many things to do in Wellington during the day, such as riding the cable car up to the beautiful botanical gardens, visiting Civic Square and marvelling over the giant ball of Silver Fern that floats overhead, taking a walk (and eating a lot of seafood - try the mussels!) on Queen's Wharf, (speaking of the Queen...she stayed at the Hotel Waterloo in Wellington, which is now a really creepy green backpackers!), seeing the ugly architecture, as well as the old wooden buildings (One being the 2nd biggest in the world - A temple in Japan being the first). You can also climb Mount Victoria (amazing views) check out Oriental bay, go visit my University (Victoria University of Wellington), take a ride out to the Kapiti Coast, catch the ferry to Eastbourne, or the InterIslander Ferries to the South Island.
Wellington also is quite lively after dark. There are many pubs and clubs and coffee houses that stay packed until the wee hours of the morning. After drinking a bit too much, you'll probably be hungry..but unless you always want a Turkish Kebab at this point you're pretty much out of luck.
Wellington is known for its wind. This is due to being at 41S Latitude, it is smack dab in the midst of the "roaring 40s" winds which whip in all directions and make it very hard to walk sometimes. On a light day, you only get blown around a little, on a high wind day, my advice is to avoid Molesworth St. You will not be able to walk too well at all!
I like Wellington for it's culture, vibe, and entertainment. I hate the wind, but I deal with it. The hills are a bit much for this New York Girl, but again...you deal with it, because the good outweighs the bad a million times over.
Come visit! Hostels are NZ$15-$20 per night and everything else is just as inexpensive (Car Hire: 40-60 NZ Dollars per day)!! It's a great place to do your working holiday! Your British Pounds are worth 3 times as much here!
Advantages: Great place for all! Disadvantages: Windy is the name!
...probably say Auckland.
Yes… Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.
You can feast yourself by visiting the ‘Beehive’, (Government buildings), and even listen in to the local politicians. It’s not as extravagant as the House of Lords, however- it’s still a ‘debate’, even if you can’t join in!
From Wellington you can catch the ferry to Picton, there’s three ships that sail and it doesn’t ... ...When I say windy, wellington has been given the name ‘Windy Wellington’ by the locals, because it's always windy!
One of the most famous peices of history for Wellington is the sinking of the Wahine ship which was a bit like the modern day Titanic. (This happened years ago, and the boats are very safe)
In Wellington itself, it's quite hilly, to take advantage of the amazing views of the capital and the harbour, you can catch the lift ...
michellej 04.09.2000 (05.03.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wellington (New Zealand)
Advantages: Truly spectacular scenery and friendly people Disadvantages: Southerly gale force winds and rain can occur unexpectedly.
I lived in Wellington for the first thirty years of my life, and although now residing in other parts of the world, I have always come back to refresh my memories of this ever changing city. When I visited the Capital last Christmas, I was amazed at the changes I saw. For instance, you can now take a harbour ferry from the downtown wharves area at Queens Wharf, and cross the harbour over to Days Bay and Eastbourne. On a fine day, this is a fantastic ... ...off at Somes Island - a former quarantine station - in the middle of the harbour, and get a later ferry back if you wish. The other attraction I would recommend to Ciao readers is the Southern Walkway which goes along Mt. Victoria. You begin this marvellous walk at Oriental Bay, and climb up a graded track past highly priced real estate to emerge at the top of Mt. Victoria. The views en route are really quite extraordinary. I took a photograph en ...
Jim2003 21.06.2008 (05.06.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wellington (New Zealand)
Advantages: A nice looking, small city, easily explorable Disadvantages: Not much left to do after 2 days! Young people will be bored unless they like museums.
...quite enjoyed my visit to Wellington - but I'm an old(ish) fart. This Review is very much written from the viewpoint of a young person - who would find the place boring!
*****The Arrival****
After a hair raising, but fun, landing at the local airport (the plane has to land in very windy conditions just above the sea and rocks) we found the main terminal building nearly deserted - even though it was the middle of the day. We managed to get a local ... ...*****Social issues*****
Wellington has social problems - just like most other cities. The kids get drunk at night and hang around street corners during the day. That's probably because there is nothing for them to do. The Maori and white populations seem to get on better than the equivalent relationship in Oz. In general people are very laid back and don't even give you a second look - so you don't feel that you are a tourist. *****The Main Attractions*****
...
u103177 19.10.2004 (03.11.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Wellington (New Zealand)
Advantages: Great nightlife Disadvantages: Not a lot to do during the day
I have been to Wellington twice once in 2005 and again in 2007. Wellington was not may favorite place in New Zealand, however as it is a city it has really good night life, with many bars, pubs, and restaurants. So if you need a good night out then Wellington is definately one of the best places to go out. During the day Wellington has many good shops so if you enjoy shopping then you could easily spend a whole day shopping in Wellignton. When you ... ...you need to decide how to get to the south island then I would recommend the ferry wich takes you across into the small town of Picton which is very nice, or plane which is a lot quicker and takes you into Nelson. I have done both and the plane is a lot quicker but I spent one night in Picton which was really relaxing and I really enjoyed the coach journey from Picton to Nelson. ...
Ben_1907 12.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Wellington (New Zealand)
Advantages: beautiful cultured city Disadvantages: a little small, and yes. it is windy.
...the nature/scenery/outdoor life/golf! On tours, Wellington is probably just a stopover between the two islands.
Wellington is, however, rapidly becoming a 'bigger' city. Because of the Lord of the Rings, Wellington gained worldwide status and there was incredible improvements in the city appearance/structure. Cuba Mall, Manners Mall, Courtney Place were repaved, decorated and generally 'done-up'. The waterfront is a place to visit - yes right next ... ...things to check out and if you are on a budget, a decent amount of its free. There are also some other galleries and museums on Queens Wharf to go look see.
Especially now, in summer, there are always things going on in Civic Centre for the public. Live music, jazz performances, busketers - its very cultured. The shopping isn't that great but some cool local kiwi stores are worth checking out. And some great little cafes down Cuba Street. There ...
ballpointpencil 07.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Wellington (New Zealand)
Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
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Advantages: Fun, educational, entertaining, hands on Disadvantages: Very big (can't see it all), can't take pictures of exhibits
Te Papa Tongarewa museum ("Te Papa" or "Our Place" for short) is NewZealand's national museum and is right in the heart of Wellington next to the docks. If you only have time to visit one thing in Wellington, visit Te Papa. Many of the collections are online, so if you can't make it all the way to NewZealand, then have a look at the web pages instead. Originally dating from 1992 (or 1998 for the present incarnation in its iconic building), this is a modern museum suitable for children and adults alike and the exhibits are fun and often interactive, whilst still being educational.
Most of the exhibitions are free, but you pay if you want to go on a guided tour. Lifts going to every floor help with accessibility and are useful for everyone - the museum goes up to floor level 7, so we were quite worn out by the end of our trip ...
Advantages: Wonderful way to see New Zealand way of life, past and present Disadvantages: None
Don't plan a short trip to Wellington and NewZealand's Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. You will need at least a morning or afternoon, better plan on the whole day.
I've been to Te Papa, as it is more usually called, several times and every time I go there I see something different. This is mainly because they have set exhibitions but there are ever-changing long and short term special exhibitions to focus on.
We took my grand-daughter to one called ` Inside your Body'.` (I think I remember that as the title, but even if it wasn't , that was what it was all about. Aimed at all the family it left nothing to the imagination! Exceptionally well presented and inter-active.
I love Te Papa because it belongs to all NewZealanders and in that respect a lot has gone into presenting how the country has evolved, both ...
Advantages: Clean rooms Disadvantages: Dirty kitchen over priced awful food
Nomads Hostel Wellington was one of the most disappointing hostels I have stayed in, and the most over priced.
Nomads is part of a chain of hostels and I was led to believe that they where supposed to be some of the best, I have learnt now through experience to avoid the chain hostels at all costs.
They are highly over priced, lack the personal feel and with such a large turn over of staff not particularly well kept.
We stayed in 6 bed dorm room, the room its self was clean and tidy but very un friendly, with no character at all. White walls with 3 sets of bunks beds it made you feel like you where perhaps in a cell of some sort.
The room had automatic air conditioning that could not be adjusted which was great in the day when you had been out in the heat and wanted to come in to cool down, but not so great when you are ...
