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The Best Day Trips from Wellington

The Best Day Trips from Wellington 🚗 [2024]

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Article Single Pages© NZPocketGuide.com
Article Single Pages© NZPocketGuide.com
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The Top Places to Visit Near Wellington

Seen it all in Wellington? It’s time to leave the capital and explore its surroundings on one of the amazing day trips from Wellington. Discover island sanctuaries where birds thrive, escape to the beaches of the Kapiti Coast, or delve into the forests around the Hutt Valley. Plan your day trip with this guide, which also includes some day tours from Wellington should you not have access to a vehicle.

For more trip-planning wisdom, head to The Complete Guide to Wellington, as well as 10 Non-Touristy Things to Do in Wellington. Plus, find a place to stay in The 50 Best Accommodations in Wellington.

5 Best Day Tours from Wellington

Before diving into the day trips from Wellington, here are some day tours from Wellington so you can ditch the car.

Guided Day Tours from Wellington

The Best Day Trips from Wellington© NZPocketGuide.com

Wairarapa

The Best Day Trip from Wellington for Foodies

Travel time by car: 1h10mins to 2h10mins one-way
Relevant tour: Martinborough Wine and Wild Coast Tour with Zozo Travel (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor).

Venture into the wine region of the Wairarapa for some winery-hopping fun. If you’d rather stretch your legs, however, make it an extended journey down to Cape Palliser to walk the ungodly amount of steps up to the Cape Palliser Lighthouse or marvel at the otherworldly rock formations of the Putangirua Pinnacles.

For more activities to add to your day trip itinerary, see the 10 Damn Good Things to Do in Wairarapa.

The Best Day Trips from Wellington© Unsplash

Upper Hutt

The Best Day Trip from Wellington for Couples

Travel time by car: 30 minutes one-way
Relevant tour: The Lord of the Rings Locations Tour with Rover Rings Tours (more info on Klook, Viator and Tripadvisor).

Venture north to Upper Hutt which has a real mix of experiences between Lord of the Rings filming locations, the Remutaka Cycle Trail, Staglands Wildlife Reserve (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor) and much more. You’ll also find all of your city conveniences in the main town, including charming eateries.

For more ideas on what to do, check out the 11 Excellent Things to Do in the Hutt Valley.

The Best Day Trips from Wellington© Unsplash

Kapiti Coast

The Best Day Trip from Wellington for Luxury Travellers

Travel time by car: 45 minutes one-way
Relevant tour: Kapiti Coast and Foxton Beaches Day Tour with New Zealand Photo Safari (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor).

Hit the road to the Kapiti Coast for a day of beach fun, vintage cars or island exploration. Join one of the tours to the bird sanctuary of Kapiti Island (more info on Viator, Tripadvisor and Klook). There’s also the Southward Car Museum – a must for any petrolhead. Alternatively, stretch your legs on Paraparaumu Beach or Queen Elizabeth Park.

Plan more of your day trip using the 8 Excellent Things to Do in Paraparaumu, 5 Best Things to Do in Paekakariki and 8 Best Things to Do in Waikanae.

The Best Day Trips from Wellington© NZPocketGuide.com

Remutaka Forest Park

The Best Day Trip from Wellington for Budget Travellers

Travel time by car: 40 minutes one-way

Swap the city for nature by hitting the hiking trails of the Remutaka Forest Park. Delve into the forest and hike the hills of the Remutaka Ranges, where a popular access to the walking trails is via the Catchpool Valley. The Five Mile Loop Track is an easy option, while the Orongorongo Track takes you to a glorious swimming hole at the end of a two-hour walk.

Find out more about the walking trails of the Remutaka Forest Park on the Department of Conservation website.

The Best Day Trips from Wellington© NZPocketGuide.com

Matiu Somes Island

The Best Day Trip from Wellington for Families

Travel time by ferry: 25 minutes one-way

Take the East by West ferry from Queen’s Wharf in Wellington city centre to Matiu Somes Island. The island has an intriguing history of being an internment camp during World War Two, an animal quarantine centre and a Maori pa site. Some of the buildings from its past remain, while today, the island is a wildlife sanctuary for tuatara, weta and native birds including penguins.

For more places to visit around Wellington, check out the 20 Incredible Things to Do in Wellington.

More About Wellington Day Trips

That’s it for the best day trips from Wellington. For more day trips, you might like to hit the following destinations:

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

Contact Laura About Our Team

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